David and the Woods

From the bedroom "wilds” of Valleyfield, QC David Dugas-Dion records and releases music reminiscent of the early ’90s indie four-track boom. He nails both the distortion pedal chug-a-longs of Sonic Youth/Dinosaur Jr. and the spacey psychedelic noise breakdowns of Eric’s Trip/Elevator. Despite his one-man-band approach, Dugas-Dion achieves a full ensemble vibe admirably, using sloppy-handed real drums rather than a machine to advantage rather than impediment. The handmade approach, leaving unpolished surfaces and rough edges, is a nice break from the dearth of studio quality but passion-free home recordings. Occasional field recordings serve as backgrounds, breaking down a wall into outer space. And speaking of outer space, a love for it shows through in his lengthier instrumental freak outs like "Grass” and "Space-Time Satori,” which possess echoes of early Bevis Frond workouts. Like many CD-R self releases, there is a little forgivable filler, but it ultimately brackets the album’s strengths that are its mid-length distortion laced songs marked by sudden breaks and changes. May the suburban bedrooms rise again!