Sons of Ken – Party Angry Review

There he is, the cash-in of the century. The Green Giant himself, a break from the heady days of Marvel and mashing up villains for a trip onto the cover of this Sons of Ken release. Ever reliable and quite extraordinary when it comes to knowing when and where to manipulate their sonic waves, this latest release, Party Angry, should be no surprise in its quality. The excess of tech in our lives has little benefit beyond hurling insults at once-famous bands and hearing the booming flitters and twangs of electronic music. Flutters of LCD Soundsystem and all those early years in the trenches of electronica can be heard through this Party Angry release, which insists, almost immediately, that you need to leave the club. 

Take it home, this faceless voice cries out. It certainly is not Bruce Banner. Danceability is crucial. Swing your arms and flow to the sensible and out-there rhythms provided by this pair of Ken-adjacent musicians. This duo has proven time and again where the best of electronic music lies, in the rhythm and feel of camaraderie in music. With Michael Moran on bass and Spike Burridge blasting the eardrums with a sweet bit of techno manipulation, the overall effect of Party Angry and following track Party Hard is an envious and courageous attempt to shake the sleep out of the eyes of a man whose four coffees a day is catching up with him. Sleep is for the week. Rattle the cage. Party Angry will keep you from true zombification with some sleek pop-oriented workings which hold within them a jutting, constant brilliance.  

An exceptional boom of technology and all the plonking wonders of its use does not overtake the fact that at the core of Party Angry, instrumental courage and the simplicity of a drum beat or a tempo choice still take mineral which Sons of Ken has. Sweet Powder White, a lament to the club fuel of today, marks it as such, with the whirrs and rumblings of early days and deep cuts of I Monster fitting neatly into place. Ultimately, Party Angry is a charming EP which provides a real sense of urgency to its numbers, despite the endless and long-ruminating case made for disco culture. It is still out and about there in some shape or form, though dancing to the best of the Bee Gees has been replaced by the jittery and vacant approach of Thom Yorke hosting a Boiler Room set. 

Experience the club through the eyes of a duo old enough to remember its histories and The Hacienda. Trust in their guidance and be rewarded by a fruitful piece of music that delivers on its most important aims – the sense of electronic flurries, both boundary-pushing and laced with nostalgia. Doses of both in equal measure is a hard narrative to weave over the twangs and warbles of this one yet becomes clear the more Party Angry plays on. Electronic music is as much about sound manipulation as it is about rhythm, and this is what Sons of Ken gets so thoroughly. Sweet Powder White and EP closer D’Francisco’s Old School Reshuffle are clear signs of this. Tune in to the whirrs and wonders of electronic disco tributes – there is life in it yet.