Browsing Tag

Fantomas

Ry Welch pushed the boundaries of avant-garde production with ‘THE MOMENT OF DISAPPEARANCE’

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1F0fXCfC60P5JJbaXc69s121Ja6WvfCmu

Ry Welch’s seminal single, The Moment of Disappearance, nestled within his recently remastered LP, Hostile Lazarus, could easily be dismissed as an installation of pure augmented obscurity, but if you lean in a little deeper into the fiercely thematic dualistic beauty within the juxtaposition of the euphonic and abrasive elements, the genius of Ry Welch becomes evident.

Accordant elements bleed from synthesised harmonies, echoing the 60s psych-pop bliss of the Beach Boys and the Zombies, while the frenetic insanity allows you to imagine the sonic love child of Fantomas, Glen Branca, and ELO. The cultivated yet chaotically unhinged production supports a narrative epic, inviting listeners on an unmissable saga through the proclivities of an unfiltered erratic mind.

Despite his niche sound, Welch has garnered a loyal following that reveres his uniquely animated sonic signature born from unbounded creative vision. Given the exhilaration in The Moment of Disappearance, it is easy to see why.

Born in Austin, Texas, and later honing his craft in Northern Virginia, Welch initiated himself into the music industry by amassing multi-instrumentalist stripes at the age of five.  His teenage years saw the formation of his first band, laying the groundwork for a career marked by an unyielding dedication to musical innovation.

Welch’s eclectic background includes studying jazz and classical bass at VCU, performing jazz in the DC area, and expanding his horizons at the New England Conservatory, where he engaged with luminaries such as John Cage and Elliott Carter. His versatile career spans from composing jingles in New York City to performing with regional jam bands in Virginia, and now, pushing the boundaries of avant-garde production in Los Angeles.

The 2024 remaster of Hostile Lazarus dropped on July 15 and is available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Liverpool’s most Machiavellian post-punk jazz outfit, Laz Berelow, did Friedrich Nietzsche proud in God is Dead

Dives by Laz Berelow

Laz Berelow’s latest single may decree that God is Dead, but Glenn Branca lives and breathes through the histrionically cold feat of post-punk capable of giving your speakers frostbite.

The complex time signatures of the guitars with the obscure jazz nuances and polyphonic chaos is a pairing that ensures God is Dead is a sonic deliverance of comfort to the disturbed. If you’re pious to the Machiavellian experimentalism of Mike Patton, you’re sure to get your kicks from God is Dead. Friedrich Nietzsche would be proud.

When GetIntoThis were tastemakers on the scene before Peter Guy shamed himself during my tenure as an editor, Laz Berelow was dubbed one of the best acts of 2020; they easily lived up to that accolade with God is Dead.

Stream and purchase God is Dead via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Harry And The Hootenannies and ‘The Scam That Never Ends (Part 1)’

https://soundcloud.com/harry-and-the-hootenannies/the-scam-that-never-ends-part-1

Harry Braswell, Ben Wescott, and Nick Woehrle – aka Harry and the Hootenannies – are all University of South Carolina graduates who met in a bagel shop and – long story short – put together a trio that’s been variously likened to Primus, the Grateful Dead, Rush, and Led Zeppelin. There’s certainly a proggy, psychie, rocky sort of feel to ‘The Scam That Never Ends’, but there’s some serious funk groove too, courtesy of some proper five-string bass grind and jazzy, folk-inspired drums.

‘The Scam That Never Ends’ is upbeat, bouncy, wacky, zany, and disjointed in a totally good way; there’s elements of Fantomas, early Faith No More, and Mr. Bungle in there too, with elements of ska and psychedelia amidst the funk-rock chaos. It’s all damn good fun, with an impressive amount of musical virtuosity and time-signature-changing noise-making (especially for a three piece) on offer here.

You can hear ‘The Scam That Never Ends (Part 1) on SoundCloud. Follow Harry and the Hootenannies on Facebook and Instagram.

Review by Alex Holmes