Page 30 - the Noise October 2016

MUSIC REVIEWS
BY BEVERLEY NAPALM
THE SUMMER HITS
beaches and canyons
(Medical Records)
I was lucky enough to be hip to the Summer Hits, and gobble up their fuzzed out blissful noise pop 7inches in the early ‘90s. Very much flaunting ‘60s counter-culture, the band’s sound was an amazing contradiction of mod-psyche pop, Cali- fornia surfer vibes, LSD trips, white noise guitar and great ‘70s Americana melodies. It’s a hodge-podge of influences, but it worked! Vocals float over a bed of noise such as the title track “Beaches and Canyons,” and the shiner of the bunch for me, the ethereal “Moto-guzzi.” Switching gears and chopping it up into bass-driven mod-art-pop explosions in tracks such as “Sandy Hair” and “Laetitia,” their style was unique, sonically challenging with plenty of treble-y guitar, but very rewarding if you let go, tuned in and “got” it. Guitarist Darren Rademaker dialed back the fuzz a little and went onto continue the California summer vibes, with greater commercial success as The Tyde. Drummer Josh Schwartz spent time in Darren’s brother’s band, The Beachwood Sparks. However, The Summer Hits vocalist and bassist Rex “Tartatex” Thompson sadly never continued with his unique musical vision. After the band broke up, he led a somewhat unconventional lifestyle, travel- ing throughout Europe initially penniless, before taking up fashion
modeling in London and making himself disposable to wealthy
countesses. Rex made the scene wherever he was. He has been
described as being like“a walking hit of acid,”and“the life of the party, a psychedelic social butterfly.”This record actually came out in April this year, as a Record Store Day beautiful color vinyl and flexi-disc package that has been next to my record player in regular rotation since cracking the shrink wrap. Yet it’s with sadness I reach for this compilation today, on hearing the news of Rex’s premature departure from this mortal coil. But be grateful we had this time with The Summer Hits. And remember, follow the suggestions printed on the original CD if possible — “The Summer Hits group strongly recommend you groove to these songs the way in which they were laid down, that is to say, at a deafening volume while utterly loaded.”
ANDY HUMAN AND THE REPTOIDS
s/t LP
(Ss Records)
Bay Area maverick Andy Reptiod proudly takes his influences and twists them into his own version of what the future
of rock and roll could/should look like. It’s fresh and smart. It’s articulate and engaging. It’s grimy and high energy. And it
deliciously straddles a gamut of post punk edgy vibes — Pere Ubu, Gary Numan, Brian Eno, all filtered through a kaleido-
scopic R’n’R filter. It even sounds like Roxy Music here and there, courtesy of a smattering of post-punk spiky saxophone. A
focal point throughout is the glam-punk guitar histrionics that have become Andy Human’s (née Jordan) calling card. There
are many delights in this 11-song strong set. The upbeat futurist garage punk “I Got Soul,” the call to arms Devo-esque
stomp of “Reptiod Rock,” and personal favorite, the catchy proto-punk album closer of “Biffed Up.” I love the fact this record could have arrived at any point in time. It appears to be
both equally out of step and perfectly timed, with regard to not quite fitting in, yet having more than enough pop-hooks to pique interest. I’ve seen the future. And the future is Reptoid.
FATEN KANAAN
The Botanist And The Archaeologist
(Polytechnic Youth)
After a quietly ushered in delightful self-released cassette, Brooklyn’s one woman-electronica outfit Faten Kanaan has released a debut vinyl album of confident warm analogue synth minimalism. There is more than a nod to the classic BBC Radiophonic Workshop pioneer Delia Derbyshire, who worked with synth soundscapes and musique concrète in the ‘60s and ‘70s, (and is possibly most famous for the original Doctor Who theme). Dreamlike, deliberate and sparing in construc- tion, Kanaan possesses a talent and ability to paint visually with the emotive fragments of sound she assembles. It’s truly cinematic in scope and intent. I could see any of these 12 tracks being applied to a random grainy black and white slo-mo landscape film, with great effect. It has a beautiful retro/futurist feel. This is how I suspect people in the ‘70s imagined the music of now would sound. It is made on vintage analogue equipment, with a tone that is yearning and nostalgic. It’s per- fectly suited to the vinyl medium of course. There are no rhythm tracks, and barely any vocals, yet the LP is not lacking for anything as a result. Its delicate nature is of course its strength. I look forward to seeing where Ms. Kanaan takes us next, in futures past.
30 • {online at thenoise.us} OCTOBER 2016 | THE BEST OF ARIZONA | the Nöísẽ