Wednesday, April 16, 2014

-valis Pick of the Week



Hail Voyagers! Hoping all in the Americas got to see some of the "blood moon" eclipse. And now on to our Pick: from Paris, France: Les Rivals! Their self-titled debut just came out via Mauvaise Foi Records, and Casbah Records!



Stylistically all over the map; from garage, to Brit-pop, to psychedelia, and back again. A sturdy, solid effort by a band who've clearly been at this much longer than their debut suggests. (Their Bandcamp page shows a single going back to 2010. makes more sense now, as this LP is accomplished.) Talented players who get it done wherever "it" takes us. Matt : lead voice and noisy tambourine; RV : (fuzz) guitar; Sam : (heavy) bass; Dom : (Driving) beats; and Clem :(swinging) organ. Jumping outta' the gate with the raucous "Police Station," one discerns ambition. "Glory Days," the third track could've fit on *any* Brit-pop album of the mid- to late-90s. Any of them. Would've been a winner, too. By track six, imho, they fully hit stride with the garage stomping "Take Me For A Ride"! Whoo! And from there they don't let up. "She Don't Care" is an organ-fueled whirly-gig, and the lead guitar action sizzles. It all comes to close on epic last track, the six-plus minute "Halfway There." A coup de grace, to be sure. Panache. Recommended.

Ecoutez! avec volume.





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You can listen to the archived stream here; or, hear it this Friday, on The Dead Man's Turn Me On, Dead Man show on Live365, where it's heard every Friday at noon eastern time, as well as Mr. Atavist's Sunrise Ocean Bender show, heard every other Thursday from 11pm to 1 am eastern, on WRIR in Richmond, VA.

Note:
Adding the Pick of the Week to their show is Dogs Got A Bone out of Edinburgh, Scotland, from 10pm to midnight, Mondays, U.K. time, (adjust accordingly,) on Belter Radio. Thanks Col Chant!

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