There’s just something about drowning pop songs in gnarled, ugly guitar fuzz that just works. Ever since Jesus and Mary Chain paired Beach-Boys-esque doo wop songs with amp-busting feedback, scores of bands have adopted the same formula with similar success. Dinosaur Jr, My Bloody Valentine, original Weezer, and countless others have tapped into this basic instinct and have become legends because of it.
And somehow, the efficacy of the formula hasn’t diminished its potency at all. But even so, when a band gets the ingredients in the right proportions, the reaction is magical.
This is the case of Buds, the new LP from on-again-off-again noise pop outfit Ovlov. Racing through eight tracks in a brisk 25 minutes with sunshiny melodies, tight drum patterns, and some of the most oppressive walls of fuzz put to tape this year. Seriously, this guitar tone is heavier than some of the metal records I’ve heard lately. But even as punishing as that sonic onslaught is, it somehow enhances the hook laden songcraft on this record instead of making it less accessible.
That said, it’s not an all-out fuzz fest. There’s plenty of crystalline clean guitar here, which makes the distorted passages all the more special. The most impressive thing on this disc though might be the mixing job. Despite however loud it gets, it remains crystal clear. Chiming cymbals, delicate background vocals, and even on one track a saxophone, are perfectly audible even when the volume approaches the red.
Buds is a simple record, with simple tricks, but that’s exactly what it needs to be. Anything else would clutter up the gorgeous clarity of these songs. Now let’s just hope they don’t break up again before the next record.
0 Comments