Cheveu - 'My Answer is Yes!' (Rob's House)

Another Cheveu single, pairing an album track with a new one, though the a-side is the new tune. Full title: 'My Answer is Yes! But What's the Question?', a blazingly strident display of positivity. It's built around the same Cheveu ingredients we know and love - Big Black's drummer, dirty guitars, white noise, and harsh vocals that are barked/spoken/shouted. This ups the notch a bit with a few actual breakdowns, where the band throws the intensity up for just a few measures, before letting off the throttle ever-so-slightly. It's a nice technique, showing there's a lot more focus than you might suspect upon first listen. It ends in a pile of wires and sweat, with the singer growling his deathmoan. A dark moment, perhaps, but in constrast to the B-side, a different (slightly slower) version of album-favourite track 'Lola Langusta'. Like 'Dog' there's something a bit stereotypical about this guitar riff, something too familiar being deconstructed. This is a soulful tune of pure desire, as our singer pleads for Ms. Langusta to work her sexual magic in his direction. The synth horns aren't here, but there's a great sounding electric piano. This is on a label called Rob's House, and you know, it sounds like it was recorded there too.

Azusa Plane / Roy Montgomery split (Colorful Clouds for Acoustics)

The Azusa Plane tune is titled 'Volume IV: She Was Into S&M and Bible Studies, Not Everyone's Cup of Tea She Would Admit to Me, Her Cup of Tea She Would Admit to No One' and it's a 33 1/3 slice of slowly pulsing drone. The cover art is apt and this is one that you feel more than you hear, know what I mean? Roy Montgomery's side, 'Cumulus and Fugue', is similar stylistically to the guitar/delay strum heard on Temple IV. There's a more tonal center than the Azusa side, though it's still barely recognizable as guitar, and like the best kinda of these things it works well either really quiet or really loud. Thin, translucent blue vinyl ties this all together conceptually and if you get your kicks doing as little as possible, this is your soundtrack.