Recorded at Shea Stadium, the new Alan Watts EP is a blustery amalgamation of guitar and keyboard reverbs over cool, louchey drums. At the record release show on Friday, the trio launched the EP …Is the Fantasy Band with fanfare, including colorful and spastic Eyebodega visuals and several strange cactus shapes built of fake flowers spread around Shea Stadium. Every band should throw themselves such a party!
The record itself starts out with the group's trademark layers of fuzz and buzz. Track two, “Africa Bats”, is a head-bobber to the Nth degree, with a classic guitar rhythm and muttering lyrics amongst a backdrop of squeeky creepy night noises. The digital drums of “Dijkstra's Virgin” underscore the very analog bass line, with even more layers of verb. “Jackson's Fire” brings the tempo up, with the vocals echoing into unintelligible oblivion but also, somehow, catchy. And “Lee's Child” adds a female vocal to the mix, bringing a drop of sweetness to the final note.
The record will be available via Blackburn Recordings.
