epo-555 - Mafia

epo-555 are a Danish electro-pop band that have been around for about 5 years or so. They claim to be influenced by many of the shoegaze bands of the 80's and 90's, but don't let that fool you. They are not a shoegaze band. I would say that their music has more of a pop sound than a droner shoegaze sound, although I suppose some of the elements are still there. It doesn't really matter. However you want to label them, the fact remains that their latest release Mafia, is a very enjoyable CD. The first few times I listened to it, it almost flew by without me hardly noticing it. It played out as if it was one long dreamy song. That's not meant as a criticism, but as a term of endearment. I'm not saying that the songs all sound the same. On the contrary, the songs are so brilliantly organized that they flow into one another in a very comfortable way. Some of the highlights for me are "Harry Mambourg" which is a perfect slice of indie pop, sounding like an amalgamation of Yo La Tengo and Mates of State, with some very powerful guitars chiming in joined by some sweet orchestral sounds towards the end of the song. "Maid In China" starts off heavily with the electronica before settling into a very smooth synth-pop groove. "Grisslapen" has a nice dreamy sound to it, while "Examinor" jumps out of the mix with a steady chug that thumps along nicely whilst leading into the instrumental album closer entitled "Uberholen Hat Keinen Zwecki", with a few accents thrown on there for good measure. I don't know what that means, but regardless, it was a good move for the band to finally release the CD here in North America because we're poised and ready for its overdue welcome.

Download: Hyperschlieb mp3 / Maid In China mp3
Myspace: epo-555
Video: Hyperschlieb youtube
Purchase: Mafia on Amazon.ca