Combining
Beck's cut-and-paste pop irony with
Big Audio Dynamite's worldly dance groove,
Iffy's debut long-player,
Biota Bondo, spins like a soundtrack to your backyard summer dance party. Composed largely via trans-Atlantic computer collaboration between members based in Minneapolis and in the Netherlands,
Biota Bondo betrays many elements of 1980s rave-rock and 1990s Euro-dance music, and very little of the Midwestern roots-punk group Run Westy Run (the former band of frontman KjustinJ [Kirk Johnson, brother of
Jayhawk Kraig Johnson] and bassist Tom Merkl).
Iffy grabs from a host of influences, and the group's not-so-clever attempts at shading them with modern dancefloor beats makes the listen fun in and of itself. There is bit of
Three Dog Night ("Can-O-Cope"),
Style Council ("Sweet Stuff"), maybe a little
Southern Culture on the Skids meets
the Farm ("Da Blink"), even
Chemical Brothers flavored with a bit of
Marvin Gaye ("Superbad Girl"). While
Iffy's frank, grab-bag approach is perfect for the simple, good-time grooves they lay down, if the trio aimed any higher, they might begin sounding clichéd and tired. A funky, rump-shaking listen, but nothing seems to stick after the record is over. ~ John Duffy