Duos from France is like a punchline you try to avoid. That's mostly because of Justice, but now Chevreuil and Cheval de Frise have their own compatriots to worry about on the instrumental scene: Welcome to the stunningly persistent world of 37500 Yens. Reims natives Jud and Frank are here to burn your eyeballs out with drumming n' strumming not unlike early Hella. If you think you're ready, 37500 Yens are ready for you. Of course, Astero isn't some far-off foray into the forests of math-rock instrumentals that you've never heard before. It's not Church Gone Wild / Chirpin' Hard. It isn't Mirrored. It is, rather, a reinforcement of already worn ideas. It's not a re-examination at the style, but a fist-pumping reaffirmation that you can still be interesting for a full album without growing too slim on finger-tapping ideas. "37501" is your ticket in and, though no obvious indications are given as to what the significance of 37,500 is (although it's worth noting that's the equivalent of roughly 33 cents), it won't matter after 27 seconds; from that point on, you are helpless to fight Frank's drumming prowess. It's subtle in this opener, and shades of Russian Circles' excellent Enter from last year linger in the air until a little over halfway through when a guitar onslaught signals that brooding isn't necessarily what this band does best. Rocking out is what they do. Given the eight songs they have here, none could've made acquaintance quite like it. On songs like both "Chapitres" featured here and the title-track, the early Hella impersonations come full bloom. It's a stripped down approach - How much more reductive can you get than a guitar and a standard drumkit? - but like Hella you'll marvel at how they can produce such ridiculously loud sounds. If there's one twist to this album (aside from the sudden shouting on "The Sullivan's Quartet"), it's on "Canard Boiteux," the song that initially made me fetch this album. In addition to the guitar and drums, a third instrument is introduced: The saxophone. Lending an almost free-jazz style of play, this surprise addition late in the album is both a welcome and rewarding highlight. Astero plays both smoothly and harshly on your ears as a math-rock refresher course for those of you who might've gotten away from it recently for one reason or another. 37500 Yens is a band that's worth checking out. Like Chevreuil three years ago, you may not be exactly sure what sucks you in so quickly... But you'll find yourself falling prey to the powerful trance of "The Sullivan's Quartet" every time. Why say more?
