Shaka Ponk – “The Geeks and the Jerkin’ Socks” (2012)

Label : Tôt ou Tard

Review by Davide Torresan

I thought I listened to a lot of strange songs in my life though I’m still young, but I was wrong: I missed Shaka Ponk. The first thing I did when I knew that I was going to review their 3rd album was to listen to something on YouTube. You know, it’s not nice to judge someone by only one song and especially from the first thing that came out. There is always the risk of having a bad first impression which cannot describe the true skills of a group. Anyway, I typed the band name and I choosed to view the video of “Let’s Bang”, which is, as I discovered later, the first song of “The Geeks and the Jerkin’ Socks”. Well, I think it’s the craziest video I have ever seen in my whole life: there is a male and a female singer, and all the members of the band dance naked with only some flashing words that cover their nudities. And then hippos and monkeys in cartoon version that interact with them and a live recording of a concert with the stage dives of the male singer.

Besides, the keyboardist, which is decidedly overweight, plays his instrument wearing only a huge Scottish kilt. Stupids or geniuses? I definitely choose the second option: this French band is really good! Through the whole album you discover that they mixed rock, pop, electronics and also reggae (go to see the video of “My Name Is Stain” on Youtube). They sing a little in French preferring instead English, Spanish and, as I’ve read here and there on the web, in Esperanto. The musicians are very skilled and every song has a great melodic chorus. I was surprised that on “Shiza Radio” there were some guitar and drum’s sounds really closed to metal. On “Palabra Mi Amor” both of the singers are accompanied by the French singer and songwriter Bertrard Cantat giving birth to the song with the most killer chorus of the entire work.

At the end I can definitely say that there are no boring moments on “The Geeks and the Jerkin’ Socks”. Shaka Ponk put their charisma in it and they know how to entertain their fans with these Rock’n’Roll songs. They became a cult band in France and Germany, but only in the last months they are receiving the worldwide success that they deserve. It must be said another thing. Shaka Ponk also knows how to treat their imagine and products since it’s a project that mixes music, graphics and video. Their universe is symbolized by the mascotte Mr. Goz, a virtual monkey, which compares in the world of Shaka Ponk. They also inaugurated the Monkey TV that, with some mini cameras installed backstage and on stage, leads an interactive dimension in their concerts. The things to discover about this fabulous band are so much, and I can tell you that you won’t regret if you choose to give them an opportunity.

Rating – 88/100

Tracklist

1. Let’s Bang
2. I’m Picky
3. Brunette Localicious
4. I’m A Lady
5. Sex Ball
6. My Name Is Stain
7. Shiza Radio
8. Run Run Run
9. Dancing Dead
10. Reset After All
11. Old School Rocka
12. Palabra Mi Amor

Line Up

• François Charon (Frah) – Vocals
• Samaha Sam – Vocals
• Cyril (CC) –Guitars
• Mandris – Bass
• Steve – Keyboards
• Ion Meunier – Drums

Links

MySpace * Facebook * Site