When you get older, you arrange with things. You don't fall in love anymore, you take what is left. So with bands, there are many you like, but none gives you the feeling anymore, and you wonder have you lost it completely and surrender. But suddenly it happens, and you realise it was not you, it was only no one who could offer you anything anymore. So I felt lately when I saw Mahjongg. I had a rough idea what was going to be expected, and was not too taken by the vague idea. But all of a sudden it happened and I was blown! It is hard to explain what exactly makes you falling in love, often it is only imagination, but there is rare love on first sight for a reason. And this band was simply good! Everything was right. It had it all and nothing too much. It was the music that was alone in the foreground and it was impossible to tell who was the main figure in the band. There was none, but all. And as many as the five diverse personalities and the different instruments they swapped after each song, as many were the musical references, still making it one band and one distinctive sound. It is pointless to repeat what other people have said before about their apparent influences and their attempts to categorize them within the frame of similar contemporary bands, I can only say that in none in these other bands, be it Animal Collective, or Battles, or Go Team, or Vampire Weekend, the melt of sounds was conveyed in such a likeable, seemingly easy , simple, and yet sophisticated, and funny way, which made it a joy to listen to, without being distracted by too an ambitious, arty and complicated drive or too a light electronic endeavour. Mahjongg is using electronics, samples, and twisted sounds, but it is still a rock band after all, that is not based on guitars but on the beats. Two drum kits keep the music real, up to all nearly hitting on something. So it was only right that the drum kits were in front of the stage, whereas the keyboards, laptops and guitars stayed on the side or background. The vocals sang by all added to the wholeness of sound, but also were not too predominating, and still nonetheless sustained their important part. And as someone else helps me expressing: "In fact, the most impressive thing about Mahjongg's live show may be just how unimpressive their actual setup is. A single keyboard, a guitar, a bass, two drumsets, and a relatively archaic sampler (...) All five members of the band are constantly switching instruments, but it doesn't come off as a self-congratulatory show of musical prowess. The issue always seems to be which sounds are coming from the stage, not who's playing them." (pitchfork) And what was the band saying to all this afro-beat meets electro-pop mixing with post-punk? "We are a rock band. We are American. The world is ending. We make the kind of music we like to listen to—none of it is very conscious. To be honest, Mahjongg is more informed by Native American rhythm than African music. We like the timbre of African music, but structurally we believe we borrow more from the first Americans. It is in the ground here, and it's more like working on a time-coded puzzle. Cambodian and traditional Indonesian music has this quality as well. We combine anything and everything that puts a smile on our face." (Mahjongg in: blog rhapsody) It was a long, long time that I really enjoyed seeing a band, and I am glad I came to see this band by accident. The next time will be on purpose! And it want be the small Bang Bang Club in Berlin, but a bigger place that can hold hopefully a much bigger audience. They are nice guys, and so is their live appearance, honest, intelligent, and definitely not boring! Go and see them live! I am still not so in love with their recordings, but maybe that will come later. People say love needs time. No! go and see and fall.

 

Badly written as usual, no clue what I am talking about? yes... go and listen:
  mahjongg
 

 

"We just don't feel the need to stress us as individuals." (mahjongg in: pastemagazine)




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