The band was formed in Davis, California by songwriter Payam Bavafa and consists of the typical guitar, drum, and bass found in most rock groups. Sholi's sound is an interesting blend that can only accurately be described as "experimental rock," though it has elements of psychedelia and math rock as well, featuring fast guitar-work, strange chord progressions and bizarre melodic arrangements. It was produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, which may partly explain why it sounds the way it does. The album consists of eight somewhat lengthy tracks, most of which take turns in dramatically different directions at several points throughout the song. The percussion is also very propulsive and gives the music a sense of rapid forward motion, especially on standout track "November Through June." Most of the songs have a rather dark feel because of the heavy use of minor chords, such as lead single "Tourniquet" and epic closer "Contortionist," both of which sound alarmingly urgent. Other notable tracks include wandering opener "All That We Can See" and the more march-like "Any Other God" found much later on the album.
Showing posts with label psychedelic rock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label psychedelic rock. Show all posts
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sholi
I don't even know where I heard about this album, but for some reason it was on my list of things to look for this year. It was released back in February and it's taken me quite awhile to find, but now I'm so glad I tried because Sholi's self-titled debut is worth the work and the wait.
The band was formed in Davis, California by songwriter Payam Bavafa and consists of the typical guitar, drum, and bass found in most rock groups. Sholi's sound is an interesting blend that can only accurately be described as "experimental rock," though it has elements of psychedelia and math rock as well, featuring fast guitar-work, strange chord progressions and bizarre melodic arrangements. It was produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, which may partly explain why it sounds the way it does. The album consists of eight somewhat lengthy tracks, most of which take turns in dramatically different directions at several points throughout the song. The percussion is also very propulsive and gives the music a sense of rapid forward motion, especially on standout track "November Through June." Most of the songs have a rather dark feel because of the heavy use of minor chords, such as lead single "Tourniquet" and epic closer "Contortionist," both of which sound alarmingly urgent. Other notable tracks include wandering opener "All That We Can See" and the more march-like "Any Other God" found much later on the album.
The band was formed in Davis, California by songwriter Payam Bavafa and consists of the typical guitar, drum, and bass found in most rock groups. Sholi's sound is an interesting blend that can only accurately be described as "experimental rock," though it has elements of psychedelia and math rock as well, featuring fast guitar-work, strange chord progressions and bizarre melodic arrangements. It was produced by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier, which may partly explain why it sounds the way it does. The album consists of eight somewhat lengthy tracks, most of which take turns in dramatically different directions at several points throughout the song. The percussion is also very propulsive and gives the music a sense of rapid forward motion, especially on standout track "November Through June." Most of the songs have a rather dark feel because of the heavy use of minor chords, such as lead single "Tourniquet" and epic closer "Contortionist," both of which sound alarmingly urgent. Other notable tracks include wandering opener "All That We Can See" and the more march-like "Any Other God" found much later on the album.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Outside Love
Not having been a fan of 2006's Axis Of Evol, I was very reluctant to listen to the new release from Pink Mountaintops, a side project of Stephen McBean of the Black Mountain collective. After hearing a few free downloads of "Vampire" and "While You Were Dreaming," however, I was convinced that I should probably give the whole album a try, and I am so glad that I did.
I have a feeling that Outside Love is going to be fairly overlooked, and that's a real shame because it might be one of my favorite releases so far this year. The album is simple and continues to re-use the same formula of psychedelic noise-washed folk, but each track is actually very rich and elegant, having a subtle uniqueness that emerges only after repeated listens. While McBean's more upbeat tracks like "Holiday" and "The Gayest Of Sunbeams" are all good and well, the true genius of the album lies in the slow downers with an interplay of male and female vocals "While You Were Dreaming," "And I Thank You," and "Closer To Heaven." All of these tracks have a gradual build-up, slowly adding layer upon layer until a magnificent amalgamation of sounds and textures is formed. Though the songs have simple melodies with decent lyrics, the backdrop of sound on each track is the dealbreaker for me. Because of the lazy ambience of each of the individual tracks, the album as a whole fits together beautifully and ends up immensely improving upon the group's former efforts.
I have a feeling that Outside Love is going to be fairly overlooked, and that's a real shame because it might be one of my favorite releases so far this year. The album is simple and continues to re-use the same formula of psychedelic noise-washed folk, but each track is actually very rich and elegant, having a subtle uniqueness that emerges only after repeated listens. While McBean's more upbeat tracks like "Holiday" and "The Gayest Of Sunbeams" are all good and well, the true genius of the album lies in the slow downers with an interplay of male and female vocals "While You Were Dreaming," "And I Thank You," and "Closer To Heaven." All of these tracks have a gradual build-up, slowly adding layer upon layer until a magnificent amalgamation of sounds and textures is formed. Though the songs have simple melodies with decent lyrics, the backdrop of sound on each track is the dealbreaker for me. Because of the lazy ambience of each of the individual tracks, the album as a whole fits together beautifully and ends up immensely improving upon the group's former efforts.
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