!!! (pronounced "chk-chk-chk") hits its three-year release schedule like clockwork with its third dance-punk album Myth Takes. The band has replaced most of the dissonance of their last release with experiments into genres like funk. This keeps their music fresh, and the beats are as good as ever. The first five songs on the album are exemplary. "Heart of Hearts" is one of the best ways to introduce your friends to the dance-punk genre. The interplay of its male-female dual vocals and the bouncing bass will make this song a standout of the year. The story isn't so rosy for the rest of the album, though, which is rife with filler tracks.
Lead singer Nic Offer provides his usual fairly incoherent lyrics, ditching Louden Up Now's occasional political barbs and stream-of-consciousness ramblings for mostly nonsense party-friendly outbursts. His voice is best thought of as another instrument. This idea is most served by "Sweet Life," where Offer inexplicably calls out the names of random letters melodically for lack of lyrics.
Myth Takes is a mostly-enjoyable, dance-able set of songs that will serve existing fans of !!! well. However, the undercooked status of some of their work might have left this release better off as an excellent EP.
