Labels: Hometapes
Review by: Ian Scanlon
This 5 track EP is so Post Rock that it arrived in my house via the post. That’s not as funny written down as it was my head… but then what is? So, post rock… as these things go, this is VERY much in the Tortoise vein… kind of unsurprising as it’s been recorded in Chicago by John McEntire of that very bunch, and he’s also done the drum programming. The chaps in the group are alumni of the usual Chicago suspects, (Jim ‘O’ Rourke’s band etc) but all hailing from the sunnier climes of Miami… which could explain why this is rather jollier than is the general beard stroking rule for this kind of gear. There’s alot of very happy sounding keyboard and percussion instruments on this stuff with most of the melodies handled by the perky likes of the steel drum, the electric harpsichord, the wurlitzer and the celeste… So happily no Godspeed! style, guitar apocalypse… more hap-o-calypso! The sturdy and warm sounding bass and drum backbones that all these tunes have also bring to mind the burbling of emperor tomato ketchup era Stereolab, which kind of has me yearning for a bit of gallic flavoured vocal over the top. Apparently these fellows have no time for such things which is a shame, as to me with my luddite “I like singing” tendencies this will never be more than background music, but mighty fine and chirpy background music for all that, and one I can see getting a fair amount of action. There are two more EPs coming out by these chaps too… and hopefully all with similarly garish and delightful packaging, this ones in day glo pink in a nice folded card digipak with a nice picture of a bird on, swingin’. More post rock bands should ditch the delay pedaled up guitars and strap the old electric sitar, thus I have spoken, so mote it be.