Thursday Jan 31, 2008 (7pm)
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