If it takes any more than fifteen seconds to hear what “mean” means to the Michigan men who make up Heaters, pick up the needle and start again. “Mean Green” is the A-side track of the band’s new seven-inch single from Beyond Beyond is Beyond Records, presenting a surf-centric slab of sonic stomp that doubles as a definition of “mean.”
In the case of Heaters, “mean” is meant in the context that might be used to describe a 1970 GTO piloted by a jittery Warren Oates – not belligerent, but aggressive, blank-eyes staring at the horizon, fueled by dread and ready to accelerate into the nearest dangerous curve.
What’s “green” about “Mean Green” then seems to be Heaters ability to glide into this path naturally, snaking absolutely without hesitation through the song’s tight turns in a way that’s insistent and invigorating. The flipside of the single, “Levitate Thigh,” proves the band to be possessed by the power of rock and roll, initially bringing the tempo to a stuttering slow-roll, before Heaters are once again the willing captives of a Seeds-level web of sounds, guitar snarl, feedback and drums creating the trap in which the band has no chance – and no desire – to escape.
Love as Laughter is an American indie pop band. The band was formed in 1994 by vocalist and guitarist Sam Jayne as a solo project following the break-up of his previous band, Lync. The band currently features Ivan Berko on bass, Zeke Howard on drums Andy Macleod on guitar and Robbie Lee on keyboards. As of May 2007, they are touring with Modest Mouse and Man Man. Recently Love As Laughter signed with Isaac Brock’s label Glacial Pace. Brock will appear as a guest on their next album Holy, scheduled for June 2008.
Don’t fight it– Beech Creeps will tsunami you.
This 3-piece grungy-grime-rock outfit formed in Brooklyn, NY in 2013, as a rock-and-roll outlet for veterans of various past and present New York bands, including Ex Models, Pterodactyl, Knyfe Hyts, the Seconds, and Yeasayer. The group released two cassette tapes in rapid-fire succession, followed by the 2015 release of their debut album Beech Creeps (out on Austin, TX label Monofonus Press), which has garnered waves of warm critical praise. Not satisfied with their pedigree, in 2015 Beech Creeps also added Brian Chase of Yeah Yeah Yeahs to the lineup.
The sound of Beech Creeps is at times sublime, crusty, heavy, swirling, and headbanging. This is music of solid rock, liquid water, floating detritus and violent storms. Lightning and thunder and the beautiful calm that follows. It growls, it screams, it shreds, it thumps, it drives. Yes, you are caught in the ocean whirlpool of rock n’ roll.
Beech Creeps have steadily gained a reputation for their wild and energetic live shows, their stage moves, their sonic textures, and their unadorned and instinctual approach to rock music. They have shared stages with the likes of Ty Segall’s Fuzz, Guardian Alien, Protomartyr, Oneida, Dan Friel, Spray Paint, Yonatan Gat, Obnox, Kid Congo, Meatbodies, and recently appeared with Thurston Moore and The Men at City Sounds Festival in Paris, France.