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Weird Dreams - Choreography (album)

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Album Review

Champion Kickboxer
Thumbs Thee SPC

Article written by Matt H - Oct 14, 2011

Champion Kickboxer - Thumbs Up

Mrs H, standing as she does at under 5 foot, has a theory that tall people walk around in a daze because of the lack of oxygen. For all its intricacy the lanky Champion Kickboxer’s recorded output does nothing to dispel that. The tempting shortcut is to label them indie-prog; there is a studied complexity and strong whiffs of 60s/70s academe to their songs. It’s no surprise that they were one of those invited to the jam session when Damo Suzuki rolled past Sheffield a few years back. But that doesn’t do justice to the whimsical lightness of touch that they have.

This second and final album (in what’s becoming a theme for Thee SPC, they called it a day before this came out) shares with its predecessor careful, slowly circular rhythms and strangely detached harmonies. Where it moves on is in bringing in many more textures and atmospheres. There’s more use of some classic Sheffield electronic notes, genuine guitar crescendos and the warmth of a horn section – not to mention all manner of whistles and (possibly) recorders. If there’s a danger in any of this naif experimentation it’s in drifting towards (self-)parody. And when chanting “Thirteen fingers, thirteen toes. Strange choreography. Nobody Knows” the shadow of the Mighty Boosh suddenly seems very close.

But such moments are rare, and quite fun anyway. Champion Kickboxer have signed off with another rather lovely album. Set against much of what you get in the current music scene, their songs have all the charm and genuine wonder of a zoetrope image found in the foyer of a multiplex. And that’s not something you really want to lose.

Links:
http://theespc.bandcamp.com/album/thumbs
http://www.heychuck.com/theespc/index.php