Cairo Gang

Los Angeles native Emmett Kelly went to Chicago to visit his sister only to meet and collaborate with recording artist Azita Youssefi, be praised by Drag City’s Rian Murphy and play back-up for Beth Orton — subsequently he never left. Kelly’s vocals have an English tinge; quiet sweetness in the spirit of Nick Drake, his guitar playing, however, couldn’t be more Chicago. At times it’s reminiscent of Gastr Del Sol like on the opening track "Antewardee” and "Warning,” which lightens the guitar with the addition of the flute. "Assholes” starts off as a noise fest and breaks down to a lo-fi echoing melody, ending with a vaguely evil resonating guitar. There are multi-levels to the tracks and one often blends from incoherent noise to hushed vocals and acoustic guitars. Classic psych rock must surely be in Kelly’s blood (his father played drums ins psych outfit Majority), as there is a good deal of flute on this album, allowing you to imagine the beauty of the English countryside before the image is decimated by the downward spiral into noise. This is a proverbial jackhammer of progression.