2008 was a good year for lo-fi and noise pop bands. Perhaps the most lauded lo-fi records of last year were No Age’s Noun and Vivian Girls’ self-titled debut, both of which came in on many year end lists and received a fair amount of critical praise. It is fitting that those two records received the most praise as they represent the two sides of the spectrum within noisy,lo-fi pop. No Age crafted an album of simple pop songs that were buried underneath a layer of fuzzy noise. It was the kind of record that you either loved or hated. Meanwhile, Vivian Girls fell more on the pop side of the spectrum by losing the layer of noise and crafting some fast-paced poppy-punk songs with a healthy dose of attitude.
Next week two new lo-fi/noise pop bands are dropping records and both groups are basically new-comers. Interestingly, they also showcase the two sides of the noise pop world.
WAVVES
WAVVES is San Diego native Nathan Williams and when he isn’t blogging about classic rap and whatever else is on his mind he is recording songs in his apartment. Last year, Williams released a self-titled tape (which sold out and is soon to be re-released in other forms) and a few 7″s. Now he is releasing his second album (which is really his debut as fas as most people are concerned) and it’s called WAVVVES (notice the three Vs as opposed to the tape, WAVVES, which only has two Vs) and to make things even more confusing they have really similar covers of kids skateboarding from 1992 or something. Other than confusing people about his releases, Williams loves combing sunny beach songs with noisy punk and putting the word “Goth” in as many song titles as possible: from his self-titled tape: “Intro Goth,” “California Goth,”and “Beach Goth,” and the up-coming WAVVVES features songs like “Summer Goth 2,” “Surf Goth,” and “Goth Girls.” I would love to see a song called “Goth Goth” on his next outing. And Williams might do it, he seems to be a funny guy. His songs are very noisy, maybe more towards Times New Viking style of noise rather than No Age brand. In other words, this record won’t appeal to tons of people, but the people that dig it will probably really enjoy it. Williams, who is 22, is combining so many of his musical influences in such a unique way that some have prematurely hailed this new record as “the sound of American youth.” I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s an interesting record if this is your thing. Check out one of the best songs on the record, “So Bored,” and a few others at WAVVES’ myspace.
WAVVVES will be released on Feb. 3 by De Stijl and my review of it will be posted here next week. [UPDATE: The WAVVES record will be released on 3/17 by Fat Possum.]
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
If WAVVES is on the noise side of the genre, then you can safely assume that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart represent the pop side. This group formed in 2007 and have released a few singles and an EP on a couple different labels but are now dropping their full-length debut and it’s a great record. There’s no layer of noise in the forefront of these songs, but they still pack a punch. The guitar sounds range from fuzzed out distortion to jangly pop similar to early R.E.M a la Murmur and Reckoning. There are also some great harmonies provided by guitarist Kip and keyboardist Peggy. What’s most impressive about this record is how solid these little pop gems are. Some of them feel like instant classics and many of the tracks sound like they have fallen right out of the 1980s. Check out two of the tracks from this record, “Come Saturday” and “Everything with You” at brooklynvegan. For a couple more tunes check out their myspace. This is a band to watch.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s debut record will be released on Feb. 3 by Slumberland Records and my review will be posted here next week.
January 30, 2009 at 4:39 pm |
i checked out wavves and i really dig it a lot. the first song i listened to was “so bored” and i immediately thought of my friend derek ivy’s band “golden hours” you remember him from martin? his wife beth said she knows you from when you used to go to central. anyway you should listen to some of his stuff on his myspace page. its a treasure chest chock full of low-fi goodness. he sometimes has beth and his 3 kids on the songs too, so that’s kind of cool keeping it in the family.
February 6, 2009 at 1:04 pm |
[...] 6, 2009 by Gavin Breeden I promised a review of the new WAVVES record this week (creatively titled WAVVVES), but in the past several weeks some [...]
April 15, 2009 at 1:07 pm |
Hey, nice tips. I’ll buy a glass of beer to that person from that chat who told me to visit your site