-
neumu
Friday, March 29, 2024 
-
-
--archival-captured-cinematronic-continuity error-daily report-datastream-depth of field--
-
--drama-44.1 khz-gramophone-inquisitive-needle drops-picture book-twinklepop--
-
Neumu = Art + Music + Words
Search Neumu:  

illustration
44.1kHz = music reviews

edited by michael goldbergcontact




Editor's note: We have activated the Neumu 44.1 kHz Archive. Use the link at the bottom of this list to access hundreds of Neumu reviews.

+ Donato Wharton - Body Isolations
+ Svalastog - Woodwork
+ Tim Hecker - Harmony In Ultraviolet
+ Rosy Parlane - Jessamine
+ Jarvis Cocker - The Jarvis Cocker Record
+ Múm - Peel Session
+ Deloris - Ten Lives
+ Minimum Chips - Lady Grey
+ Badly Drawn Boy - Born In The U.K.
+ The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls Together
+ The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
+ The Places - Songs For Creeps
+ Camille - Le Fil
+ Wolf Eyes - Human Animal
+ Christina Carter - Electrice
+ The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
+ Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
+ Various Artists - Musics In The Margin
+ Rafael Toral - Space
+ Bob Dylan - Modern Times
+ Excepter - Alternation
+ Chris Thile - How To Grow A Woman From The Ground
+ Brad Mehldau - Live in Japan
+ M Ward - Post-War
+ Various Artists - Touch 25
+ The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
+ The White Birch - Come Up For Air
+ Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
+ Coachwhips - Double Death
+ Various Artists - Tibetan And Bhutanese Instrumental And Folk Music, Volume 2
+ Giuseppe Ielasi - Giuseppe Ielasi
+ Cex - Actual Fucking
+ Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
+ Leafcutter John - The Forest And The Sea
+ Carla Bozulich - Evangelista
+ Barbara Morgenstern - The Grass Is Always Greener
+ Robin Guthrie - Continental
+ Peaches - Impeach My Bush
+ Oakley Hall - Second Guessing
+ Klee - Honeysuckle
+ The Court & Spark - Hearts
+ TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
+ Awesome Color - Awesome Color
+ Jenny Wilson - Love And Youth
+ Asobi Seksu - Citrus
+ Marsen Jules - Les Fleurs
+ The Moore Brothers - Murdered By The Moore Brothers
+ Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope
+ The 1900s - Plume Delivery EP
+ Alejandro Escovedo - The Boxing Mirror
+ Function - The Secret Miracle Fountain
+ Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
+ Loscil - Plume
+ Boris - Pink
+ Deadboy And The Elephantmen - We Are Night Sky
+ Glissandro 70 - Glissandro 70
+ Calexico - Garden Ruin (Review #2)
+ Calexico - Garden Ruin (Review #1)
+ The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
+ The Glass Family - Sleep Inside This Wheel
+ Various Artists - Songs For Sixty Five Roses
+ The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
+ Motorpsycho - Black Hole/Blank Canvas
+ The Red Krayola - Introduction
+ Metal Hearts - Socialize
+ American Princes - Less And Less
+ Sondre Lerche And The Faces Down Quartet - Duper Sessions
+ Supersilent - 7
+ Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time
+ Dudley Perkins - Expressions
+ Growing - Color Wheel
+ Red Carpet - The Noise Of Red Carpet
+ The Essex Green - Cannibal Sea
+ Espers - II
+ Wilderness - Vessel States

44.1 kHz Archive



peruse archival
snippet
    
artist
Thundercrack
recording
The Crack
Estrus
snippet
rating


So what if the artwork for Thundercrack's debut album is half fluorescent orange and half bright purple, with a jagged lightning bolt dividing the two halves? So the photo of the band was altered to have a heavily contrasted, near-animated look. And, sure, the lead holds a square-shaped, checkered guitar while the other two band members wear rectangular-shaped shades.

Judge not lest ye be judged. Don't judge a book by its cover. One of those clichés (or are they hard truths from the Book o' Life?) will do, anyway. 'Cause if one did judge this album by its cover, one might expect the Thundercrack guys to have absurd hairdos, wear skinny ties and play '80s new wave (or is it no wave? One of 'em, anyhoo).

And such is not the case. These three fellows — lead singer/guitarist/organist Nick Normal, drummer/organist Jay Automatic and guitarist/pianist Stanley Roadrunner — make fuzzed-out-all-the-way-through, stomping and yelping, often synth-driven garage rock. Sure, most garage-rockers have a little distortion and fuzz here and there, but Thundercrack use so much of it, their sound wouldn't be their sound without it. It's easy to find the spirit of The Stooges in their roughed-up, gritty and sometimes screeching tunes. And in the fashion of '60s garage, their songs often incorporate party-time rhythms you can shake your booty to.

Led by echoing electrified sneer-singing that recalls the Butthole Surfers, "ES 125" rides on a catchy beat, tambourine slaps and a dirty guitar riff. "Get My Money Back" is probably the most pissed-off, grating and indecipherable track, while the bluesy "Fallin' of the Log" has deep hand-clap fed rhythm and danceable, low, thumping beats. "Cheap Cosmetic" does start out with an '80s synthesizer robotic whine (the synthesizer infiltrates intermittently throughout), but a haunting guitar line and rock 'n' roll vocals bust in, reminding you that this is not a retro act but a classic one.

End note: I've nothing against new wave or no wave. And Thundercrack do make use of nifty synthesizer noises, so I'm well aware of the holes in my case (not to mention the checkers) — just wanted to make it clear the band's not lookin' to bring that combo of orange and purple back in style.


by Jenny Tatone




-
-snippetcontactsnippetcontributorssnippetvisionsnippethelpsnippetcopyrightsnippetlegalsnippetterms of usesnippetThis site is Copyright © 2003 Insider One LLC
-