Now I’m not one hundred percent sure what bass culture is, I guess it’s something to do with heavy bass lines and hard hitting beats (maybe it’s a sub-genre of drum n bass), but whatever the hell it is, Hadouken! are pretty much the main event, managing to unite fans of dance, indie, metal and just about anyone who’s every stepped foot into a club in the past couple of years. The band managed to receive a whooping 27 million youtube hits for their latest single Levitate and most of those were before the track was even released. And if that wasn’t enough the likes of Zane Lowe, Q, NME and even the Guardian seem to be backing the group to the hilt.
Every Weekend is Hadouken!’s third album to date and is set to catapult them the same kind of status that The Prodigy had around their heyday of Fat Of The Land and like the aforementioned pyro-maniacs Hadouken! seem to be soundtracking every party or mosh pit going and with the likes of the aforementioned Levitate already being in the nations conscience it won’t be long until the globe is rocking to a new beat.
So what does the album sound like? well it’s kind of like the most electrafied euphoric riot you could imagine on a dancefloor only with catchy melodies and the occasional cheesy pop moment thrown in for good measure. For instance the opening track, The Vortex, bubbles before exploding in a torrent of bass, synths and semi rapped (think Maxim Reality) style vocals to create a whirring explosive opening gambit that instantly makes you want to simultaneously stomp and throw shapes around. The would be smash hit and aforementioned Levitate follows, surprisingly beginning with house like instrumentation and vocals before growing into a rave fuelled monster that even the most hardened cynic would find difficult to ignore.
From there on in, Hadouken! throw everything into the pot with the likes of Bliss Out and Bad Signal combining rap vocals, soaring pop melodies and a choral vocal hooks catchier than the common cold. Cheesy Euro house anthems with added bass squelches such as As One, sizzling electro cyber punk in Parasite (I can imagine the rockers among you going mental for the hook of this one at festivals) and the odd full on banging rave anthem such as Stop Time (which in truth isn’t my kind of thing but I’m sure will set the clubs on fire!!!).
The truth of the matter is there’s very little subtle about Every Weekend as the title suggests it’s one of those perfect albums for whacking on before you hit the town and it’ll have you pumped for the night, so by the time the DJ spins Levitate or one of the other eleven anthems on here you’ll be in such a delirious state you’ll be bending into shapes you never thought possible.
Rhythm & Booze Rating 9
www.hadouken.com