The Je Ne Sais Quoi

The Je Ne Sais Quoi - Making Love with Time one-sided 12"
Stockholm's The Je Ne Sais Quoi are a band that are constantly redefining and developing themselves and their sound. They started off as a two-piece garage band on their first EP, expanding themselves to a 5 piece on their debut, new wave-esque, album 'We Make Beginnings' and took it even further along that line with their last album 'Rhythm' where the now 6 piece blended in some glam, weird electronics and even some violins! This new 12" mirrors their evolution. The title track, Making Love With Time, is a synth driven, catchy and hasty song with a late 70's pop feel. The second song, I Read the Signs, is holding back a little bit more, echoing the sound of mid-80's new wave bands. The last track is a late 80's acid house-like remix of the song 'Rhythm' by Eester Benny. The 12" comes on clear, one-sided silk screened vinyl in a nicely designed disco sleeve. One time only edition of 500 copies, in collaboration with Mono/Rhetorik.
NEW ALBUM!
On September 19th, The Je Ne Sais Quoi's second album ”Rhythm” will be released in Scandinavia. They have been working with it for over two years. The portions of funk and artificial sounds have been further enlarged. There is less cowbell and more vocoder. FAG, the band’s live reinforcement, has taken a steady seat as a member of the band, adding loads of excitement; imagine Brian Eno equipped with percussion, playing covers of Herbie Hancock at an indie rave party! Three out of the five members sing on the album, preferably in two, three, four or more harmonies. The play un-tenderly on nice old guitars, on the grand pianos of the Royal Music Academy, and on semi-broken electric organs. The sound wizard Joachim Ekermann, who has produced among others Jenny Wilson, became the perfect production partner. He has, like the members of The Je Ne Sais Quoi, played in punk bands until his fingers bled, but also knows what makes an Oberheim Matrix 1000 synthesizer really exhilarating.
Despite the mix of influences and sounds there is a thread - or rather two parallel threads - that run through the entire ”Rhythm” album. One is the music, which is uplifting, energetic, and sometimes just beautiful. The other is the lyrical content, that expresses longing, melancholy and desperation. And there it is, the desperate celebration, something which at a glance is incompatible, but has been brought together by force of music. Maybe that is why one feels that The Je Ne Sais Quoi is something you need a whole new vocabulary to describe.