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Music: Rock/Pop
Mahjongg

When

Thursday Jan 31, 2008 (7pm)

Where
Subterranean (2011 W North Ave, 773.278.6600)
Price
$10
Details
http://subt.net/
Press1196194839_large

It's probably just one of those happy accidents, but it makes perfect sense that Kontpab, the new album from local art punks Mahjongg (and their first for K Records), is an anagram of "tank bop." It's an affirming, propulsive collection that feels tailor-made for these saber-rattling times. The standout "Tell the Police the Truth" is all laser-gun synths and explosive, martial stomping, with a nasty, Big Brother pat-on-the-back lyric. The opener, "Pontiac," is the band's most fully realized integration of its oft-noted Afrobeat obsession, while "Problems" echoes the Ballardian electro-dystopia of early Human League and Gary Numan.

Stephen Gossett