The Gluons "6 Thousand Girl”

The Gluons sound like they're from the same cluttered Columbus basement where Times New Viking tripped over their blown amps to find their hissy anthems. It turns out, though, they’re from just down the road in Dayton, OH, where their forefathers Guided By Voices and Swearing At Motorists were shaping lo-fi’s future while these Gluons were banging on an Edushape baby xylophone.

There’s only two of them, but like current lo-fi champs No Age, vocalist/guitarist Andrew Ashbrook and bassist Matthew Rose feel less is more when it comes to making a racket. In fact, the Gluons could show No Age a thing or two about unrelenting noise, as they push the envelope with their shitty gear and practically non-existent production, which gives the impression their studio consists of a budget Radio Shack micro-cassette recorder and a Fisher Price mic. And did I mention they use a drum machine? Sure, it’s not set to Big Black’s punishing throb, but with all the commotion spilling from their amps you’d never guess their drummer’s name is either Roland or Alesis.

Taken from their new LP, Meet the Gluons (out on Squid’s Eye), "6 Thousand Girl” is a riff-roaring rocker that sounds much more violent than it really is. These dudes give the impression they’re playing chainsaws and murdering a frat house, as the tinny guitars cut loose some classically dangerous r’n’r licks that could incite a house party massacre. Sure all the components are basically indecipherable (try and guess a word Ashbrook sings), but isn’t that lo-fi at it’s best? It is to these ears.

The Gluons "6 Thousand Girl”

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