1986
(Palentine)
This band is the duo of Giorgio Angelini and Cully Symington and while you may not know their names they have apparently worked/played with many bands you have heard of (Okkervil River, The Rosebuds, etc.) and they got some (famous) buddies to help out on this disc like Swervedriver's Adam Franklin and The Jesus Lizard's Duane Denison. The band demands that you listen to Everybody Is Whatever I Think They Are loud, so I did.
The nine songs on this record stomp through mucky territory previously stomped on by the likes of Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana and yup, The Jesus Lizard, but these guys add enough meat ‘n' gristle to the genre (whatever genre that might be) that it's an intriguing listen through most of it. Opening cut "Fantastic Lion" wears the tires out bald but by the end of the road , when the acoustic guitar slips in, the vehicle is coasting and ready for a break while "Habits" offers up distortion of many different flavors and "Undertow" sounds like an outtake from Farm or Beyond with plenty of guitar grit and very Mascis-esque vocals too. "Black Spring" shows off the bands chops while "Rise/Fall" with its clumsy lyrics and ham-boned riffs sounds a bit too generic (same with "Jesus (Is on the Phone"). Still, Angelini and Symington keep most of this interesting (and hooky) and remember, play it loud!
Recommended Tracks: "Fantastic Lion", "Habits", "Undertow", "Loud/Soft" TIM HINELY
