Les Georges Leningrad - 'Sangue Puro' (Tomlab) Released 09/10/06

Question: Which band met during a fight in an Ontario street tavern, have been championed by Trash pioneer Erol Alkan and have toured with Sonic Youth and Arcade Fire? Answer: It’s the Montreal post punk 3-piece Les Georges Leningrad. And how they sound is really down to your own perception. Some of the tracks from this ‘bat’s egg’ of an album are so out there it is hard to categorise or fairly describe what is going on. Only they know really. And they describe themselves as ‘petrochemical rock’, which isn’t very helpful seeing as the first and title track ‘Sangue Puro’ is all but rock with its random electronic keyboard stranglings, fog horn under belly and militant drumming.

It would be too easy to sling this album aside, straight into the weird and arty box. And Les Georges Leningrad would be making it too easy for the listener if that were the case. When vocalist Poney P does step up to the mic, for just over half the album, their sound starts to take a shape. It’s not a million miles away from Adult. But the Leningrad sound is lighter, more playful, less disturbed and less sick. They also share some similarities with Melt Banana and Erase Errata on tracks like ‘Mammal Beats’ and ‘Mange Avec Tes Doigts’. But that would mean forgoing the electrorap squelchiness and ‘up your nose’ lyrics of ‘Sleek Answer’. That would also mean forgetting ‘Eli Eli Lamma Sabachtani’ that sounds like nothing before unless you have been hanging out with Amazonian tribes lately. Well have you? Because ‘Lonely Lonely’ sounds like Minty’s Nicola Bowery got taken on the jungle expedition for cheap thrills and let’s face it, it would be interesting to see how she adapted to life in the wilderness.

By the time the album arrives at final track ‘The Future For Less’, there have been so many twists and turns (like in an episode of Lost) its hard to feel settled. Uneasy listening this is, but this last track goes out at a tangent to the rest of the album and its what you call a soundscape. If there is life on mars then Les Georges have found it, embraced it, slept with it and given birth to its offspring. So finally on the last track the new life form is put to sleep and with it the listener, who is whisked away with no lasting impression, except that of cranked out chaos.