Partly by design, partly by misfortune, Sacramento’s !!! return from a spell in Berlin a sleeker, leaner beast. Smaller in membership and less labyrinthine in sound, Nic Offer and his remaining bandmates have created a record reeking of all-nighters spent in techno clubs, each track pared down and pumped up. ‘Hollow’ is as skeletal as ‘The Hammer’ is relentless, while ‘The Most Certain Sure’ is pure dubbed-out disco revivalism. Brief though it is, ‘Strange Weather, Isn’t It?’ represents a remarkable sharpening of focus at a time of flux – and possibly crisis – for the band.
8/10
Words by Neil Condron
