Bandcamp Picks of the Week 2/15/17
Bandcamp Picks of the Week is comin’ at ya again with two stellar streaming picks!
Elephant Tree – S/T
Genre: Stoner Metal
Favorite Tracks: “Wither,” “Dawn,” “Echoes,” “Fracture”
Gorgeous album art aside, Elephant Tree’s second full-length is a potent whiff of stoner metal from across the pond in England. It’s not especially visceral and may be too cleanly produced for some, but like the footsteps of a giant, there’s a staggering weight to every riff and melody. The guitars have the tempo and presence of doom metal with the texture of fuzzy blues rock, like a slowed-down version of The Sword that makes up for its lack of speed with plenty of power, while the constant vocal harmonies blend the seductive croon of Josh Homme with the eerie chant of Ghost or Ozzy Osbourne. Similarly, each of the songs has a daunting feel to it, with constant mentions of how small the lead singer feels compared to spiders and flies, the outside world, and the finite nature of time itself. If you plan on traveling through the oppressive, scorching desert with no water and slim chances of survival, you can pick up the soundtrack for such a journey here. [Blake Michelle]
Wife Situation – BOYS AGE
Genre: Lo-Fi Indie
Favorite Tracks: “Joy,” “Headlights”
Though it proudly flaunts its sadboy tendencies, Orange County-based Wife Situation’s brief but captivating debut album BOYS AGE is slacker rock depression at its finest. Pulling from early Elliott Smith’s lo-fi acoustic grit and Pavement’s likable cynicism, BOYS AGE is an outwardly upset yet highly enjoyable documentation of millennial melancholy. Lyrically, the album plays like the inner workings of a depressed Cassanova’s mind. Though there is never an uplifting moment on the album, it never feels corny or suffocating. The album’s quick run time works to its advantage, as it does not subject the listener to more than a few minutes of tear-jerking lyrics and distorted instrumentation at a time. The standout track, “Joy,” is the perfect soundtrack for crying after a party, featuring the simultaneously depressing and triumphant lyrics, “I’m drunk as fuck and I want to die / you can sleep in my bed tonight.” The gorgeously lo-fi track is the album’s clear highlight, with heartfelt lyrics and an instrumental that sounds like DEVOTION-era Beach House and LONESOME CROWDED WEST-era Modest Mouse had a delightfully sad baby. You can stream it and name your price here. [Ted Davis]
