REVIEWSMicachu & the Shapes and the London Sinfonietta, ‘Chopped & Screwed’

7

• SPIN Rating:7 of 10

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Release Date: March 28, 2011
Label: Rough Trade

Chopped & Screwed isn't Micachu & the Shapes' official follow-up to 2009's Jewellery, but it does feel like the next logical step. While their debut deconstructed pop songwriting, this one-off performance of clattering, unorthodox material (written for chamber orchestra the London Sinfonietta) builds it back from scratch. Ringleader Mica Levi tones down her voice to a nearly unrecognizable morphine drip and the hooks are more often percussive rather than melodic. Still, Chopped gives a thrilling, real-time glimpse into one of indie's true adventurers creating her legacy on the fly.