Holy Fuck - Latin (2010)

Holy Fuck do electronic music really well. They have that whole thing down where you take a simple beat and riff, preferably a catchy one like the bass riff that propels “Red Lights,” and gradually add elements to build to song to build tension that eventually erupts as the song concludes. Drums join the bass riff, followed by warm synth notes, and then the underlying riff changes occasionally to keep the song interesting. Holy Fuck’s Latin is just filled to the brim with gripping beats, unpredictable turns, and tunefulness throughout. This album starts with a gloomy ambient track, “MD,” before it really gets going. The mood is distinctly eerie, as on “Latin America” which has an almost-industrial backdrop to a cymbal-heavy beat. One interesting thing Holy Fuck do throughout is combine contrasting sounds. On “Stay Lit,” for example, a sunny synth melody provides the backdrop for grungy guitar noise that comes and goes as the song progresses giving the song a dark, almost post-punk feel, though you cant ignore the almost blissful synthesizers. “Stilettos” is the reverse of this. The song uses a bass melody and a tribal-sounding drum beat to provide the rhythm, while the synths add brightness in spots. Latin is a compelling album because it isn’t content to just give you something to dance to; every catchy electronic melody is replaced or shifts into another equally catchy one. Also the album plays with different moods to an interesting effect. There is really no electronic album I’d rather hear at this point.

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