''Assume Crash Position'' is the second album by the Congolese musical group

Konono Nº1 Konono Nº1 is a musical group from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are known for their DIY aesthetic, combining electric likembé (a traditional instrument similar to the mbira) with vocals, dancers, and percussion instruments ...

, and the fourth volume in the group's ''Congotronics'' series, released by

Crammed Discs Crammed Discs is an independent record label whose output blends world music, rock, pop, and electronica. Based in Brussels, Belgium, Crammed was founded in 1980 by Marc Hollander of Aksak Maboul and has since released around 375 albums and 275 ...

Reception

Thom Jurek, in his review of the album for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, wrote that, for fans of Konono N°1, "''Assume Crash Position'' is a necessary addition to the catalog. For the intrigued, this is an excellent starting point." Chris Martins of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' gave the album a grade of "A−", noting that, despite the band's collaborations with such artists as

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

and

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

, the album features "guest appearances not from their international cadre of high-profile fans, but from their friends in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ln, Kinsásá), formerly Léopoldville ( nl, Leopoldstad), is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Once a site of fishing and trading villages situated along the Congo River, Kinshasa is now one o ...

." Martins concludes that, after "so many 10-minute epics", the more stripped-down production of the final track on the album, "Nakobala Lisusu Te", " ffersa glimpse into the soul of the band, which thankfully has been resistant to change." Douglas Wolk of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' wrote that the album features the group's signature "amazing sound of electric likembes (metal thumb pianos) playing through fuzzed-up amps and jury-rigged mics, augmented by drums, the occasional whistle, and some call-and-response yelling. Reportedly, the band is used to playing for hours on end. They could go on like that forever, which is both ''Assume Crash Position''s strength and its flaw."

Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes.From the album's liner notes. * Mingiedi Mawangu –

likembe Mbira ( ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and pl ...

, vocals, percussion * Augustin Makuntima Mawangu – likembe, vocals * Menga Waku – vocals, bass likembe * Makona Mbuta – likembe * Antoine Ndombele – bass likembe * Pauline Mbuka Nsiala – vocals * Vincent Visi – drums * Ndofusu Mbiyavanga – percussion, tam tam * Duki Makumbu – bass guitar

References

{{Authority control 2010 albums Konono Nº1 albums Crammed Discs albums