Bandcamp Picks of the Week 9/21/16
Bandcamp Picks of the Week is here again to clue you in on two stellar records to check out.
Christian Fitness – THIS TACO IS NOT CORRECT
Genre: Noise Rock
Favorite Tracks: “happiness is not for amateurs,” “date celebrities or die,” “the tides & jabs of staying hairy,” “bad boys die in the bath”
Christian Fitness is the side project of Andrew Falkous, lead singer of British post-hardcore and noise rock band Future of the Left. Christian Fitness takes out the post-hardcore and adds some shoegaze, with much slower tempos and a spoken-word feel to the lyrics that shows little regard for melody. THIS TACO IS NOT CORRECT is filled with distorted, harsh bass, squeaking guitars, and incredibly eccentric vocals and harmonies that invoke everyone from Rivers Cuomo to Marilyn Manson. The songs reflect this bizarre combination, ranging from slicker, more playful riffs that sound like ultra-distorted Strokes to haunting, alien guitar tones and keyboards and mischievous harmonies out of some black and white sci-fi anthology. The lyrics have a crass, pub-frequenting, absurdist charm that shines brightest during a moral dilemma about a friend handing you his dick on “more skin for the skin eaters” and a girl burning “records that were only made to get money for drugs” on “the tides & jabs of staying hairy.” There’s also the glorious line, “back when animated meant it took some effort / not just some crap on Snapchat / although I’ve never actually used that” on “keeping up with the motherfuckers.” THIS TACO IS NOT CORRECT is about as coherent as its title, but since listeners will be on the edge of their seats wondering what’s around the next musical corner, they won’t much care. Anyone with even a passing, watch-it-when-it’s-on-late-night-cable interest in noise rock should listen to it here. [Blake Michelle]
Khruangbin – THE UNIVERSE SMILES UPON YOU
Genre: Thai-Funk, Surf Rock
Favorite Tracks: “Mr. White,” “Little Joe & Mary,” “White Gloves,” “People Everywhere (Still Alive)”
This is the second time we’ve written about surf rock hailing from the landlocked city of Austin, but if anything, that should just prove that surf is a state of mind, not a geographical location, man. Besides, it’d be reductive to simply label Khruangbin as surf rock, as they inhabit such a funky, psychedelic, and Thai soundscape that their grooves are hard to truly pin down. These types of multi-influenced jam bands can easily spiral into noodling drudgery that outstays its welcome, but Khruangbin keep things mercifully short and to the point, with most of the songs clocking in right around three minutes. This is just enough time to give us a taste of all the styles they’re riffing on without bogging the listener down in tiresome jam sessions. It’s easy to feel transported by this type of album, as they effortlessly take the listener around the world and through time. As a result, this is the perfect album to take in as summer gives way to fall and nights get longer, leaving more time for late-night listening. You can take a trip for yourself right here. [Carter Moon]
