Last night I caught the 30-minute long Wavves gig at Sneaky Dee's in Toronto. Impressive, for a guy who just recently fine-tuned his stage show by simply adding a drummer. However, I was just as impressed by openers Vampire Hand.
These Minneapolites were loud, vibrant and rhythmically huge, sporting not one but two drummers, one of which happened to mash the synth as well. Live, they sounded like a well-behaved amalgam of Comets On Fire and Jesus Lizard. No doubt that sounds like some entertainment but on record they sound almost entirely different. And that's not a knock. The two EPs under their collective belt demonstrate a much more organic feel built from acid-burnt licks, frolicking drum patterns and psyched-out melodies.
"Paradise Knife Fights," for instance, recalls the late, great Royal Trux. With its dirty blues guitar leads, collective harmonies and carefree strut this is just the kind of feel-good jam Neil and Jennifer would have cooked up back in the day. Y'know, if they hadn't been cooking up all of that smack instead.
Vampire Hands "Paradise Knife Fights"
These Minneapolites were loud, vibrant and rhythmically huge, sporting not one but two drummers, one of which happened to mash the synth as well. Live, they sounded like a well-behaved amalgam of Comets On Fire and Jesus Lizard. No doubt that sounds like some entertainment but on record they sound almost entirely different. And that's not a knock. The two EPs under their collective belt demonstrate a much more organic feel built from acid-burnt licks, frolicking drum patterns and psyched-out melodies.
"Paradise Knife Fights," for instance, recalls the late, great Royal Trux. With its dirty blues guitar leads, collective harmonies and carefree strut this is just the kind of feel-good jam Neil and Jennifer would have cooked up back in the day. Y'know, if they hadn't been cooking up all of that smack instead.
Vampire Hands "Paradise Knife Fights"
