Many of the tracks by Pachanga Boys, the duo of Rebolledo and Superpitcher, have broad appeal and a sense of humour. But on their album, We Are Really Sorry, their style of new wave-y dance cuts with kids' lyrics grew tiring. Since then, though, the music on their Hippie Dance label has become leaner and more focussed. The A Very Nice Combinado Volume Dos compilation arrives on You And Your Hippie Friends, a sister label of their own Hippie Dance and another outlet for this change of tack.
Sparse grooves and playful sound effects, including a clever callback to "We Can Rhyme," flow through Pachanga Boys' edit of Roman Flügel's "Deo." The rest of the A-side features this lean style. Paulor's "La Race" recalls sleazy, Skatt Brothers-style disco, with echoing drums and claps. The euphoric B-side tracks are bigger. Kasper Bjørke's arp-laden "Choir Of Young Ravers" summons the drama of a packed dance floor. The bassline and laser shots have a space disco feel, but the synth pop Bjørke is known for still runs through the track's soft edges and crystal-clear melodies.
"Choir Of Young Ravers" and the psychedelic chants of "Flashback Mantra" share crowd-pleasing qualities, but seem overwrought next to the A-side, which does the same with less. More than anyone on A Very Nice Combinados Volume Dos, Fantastic Twins—actually one person, Julienne Dessagne—shows the value of economy. Her ghoulish vocal on "Holiday" arcs in high registers around feedback tones, organs and a cowbell that drags like a clock hand on a long day. She sings as if a vacation would right some fundamental wrong. On an EP with so many carefree tracks, the yearning on "Holiday" is a strange treat.
Sparse grooves and playful sound effects, including a clever callback to "We Can Rhyme," flow through Pachanga Boys' edit of Roman Flügel's "Deo." The rest of the A-side features this lean style. Paulor's "La Race" recalls sleazy, Skatt Brothers-style disco, with echoing drums and claps. The euphoric B-side tracks are bigger. Kasper Bjørke's arp-laden "Choir Of Young Ravers" summons the drama of a packed dance floor. The bassline and laser shots have a space disco feel, but the synth pop Bjørke is known for still runs through the track's soft edges and crystal-clear melodies.
"Choir Of Young Ravers" and the psychedelic chants of "Flashback Mantra" share crowd-pleasing qualities, but seem overwrought next to the A-side, which does the same with less. More than anyone on A Very Nice Combinados Volume Dos, Fantastic Twins—actually one person, Julienne Dessagne—shows the value of economy. Her ghoulish vocal on "Holiday" arcs in high registers around feedback tones, organs and a cowbell that drags like a clock hand on a long day. She sings as if a vacation would right some fundamental wrong. On an EP with so many carefree tracks, the yearning on "Holiday" is a strange treat.
