By Gus
Greetings, music lovers -- Gus again, back and ready to rumble after a brief stint at the local bar scene.
Here's a band that I know absolutely nothing about (as is usually the case). I can tell you this: they're not Swedish, and they kick a lot of ass.
They hail from Portland, Oregon and they've been garnering a weird collection of Beck and Pavement comparisons for some time. On their recent foray, Wild Mountain Nation, they do a great job of blending down-and-dirty country hooks with 90's indie rock a la Pavement.
Tough pill to swallow, or at least wrap your head around, but on tracks like the eponymous "Wild Mountain Nation" and "Futures & Folly," you can't deny there's a certain Western flair boppin' along beneath the surface of some really great rock music. You gotta hand it to these guys, they don't stick to one genre for too long. Just when you think you've figured out their flagrant do-as-I-please indie pathos, they whip it around and sneak one past you with spacey, experimental noise-rock from Mars. Doesn't look good on paper? Do your earholes a favor and tune in, because this is one of the most enjoyably strange indie recordings in recent memory.
Admittedly, this was a sort of a spur-of-the-moment download from eMusic (the album art was pretty. Sue me). But I don't regret it one bit, and have been stealing listens to it between cleaning and laziness. Days off sure can take a toll on you, believe you me.
For more information on this band, and to purchase their albums, I implore you to check out their officious website and/or Myspace. Either will do a body good. Wild Mountain Nation is self released by the band on Lidkercow Ltd recordings.
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