Micachu & the Shapes are the sort of band music bloggers dream
about. The trio’s attributes serve as perfect fuel for the hype
machine. There’s a frontwoman with an idiosyncratic vocal approach,
homemade instruments, a wardrobe that looks like it was swiped from a
’90s Lollapalooza dressing room and a famed producer (electro
mastermind Matthew Herbert) behind the boards. In this case, the hype
might be justified, because what saves Micachu & the Shapes from
falling into the “weird for weird’s sake” category is the fact that
songwriter Micachu (Mica Levi) considers her band to be a pop act. This
is not the type of “pop” you are going to hear on the radio anytime
soon, but among the lo-fi blips, fuzz, extracurricular percussion and
bizarre string tones, you’ll find tightly-crafted tunes with an alien
sense of melody. It also helps that the songs don’t tend to cross the
three-minute mark, meaning that if things start to feel a bit abrasive,
you’re already onto a new and intriguing idea. It’s a truly fresh and
hype-worthy sound. — Whelihan
This article appears in Apr 29 – May 5, 2009.
