Posts Tagged ‘desert rock

25
Jul
13

Desert Dreams

flagsI don’t know what it was that made me fall in love with the desert, or at least the idea of it because the closest I’ve come to experiencing it was staying at Matjiesfontein in the Karoo on road trips from Jozi to CT.

If I think back to my childhood, there’s nothing concrete there either – maybe some half-remembered movie scenes or vague, dusty dreams. The clink of spurs, the rolling tumbleweed, the blood-red sunsets.

Whatever it was, my obsession with desert rock has only made it stronger over the years. It was this shared love of that scene that sparked a connection between myself and Dan Nash who, as I write this, is living the dream.

His story is a pretty cool one. SA band Red Huxley were lucky enough to win a 5FM competition last year and subsequently got to meet the Eagles Of Death Metal backstage when they were in the country last year.

The guys got to talking with the band and were invited to this crazy little recording studio way out in the Californian Desert called Rancho De La Luna which is a legendary place in desert rock folklore.

 

 

Everyone from Eagles Of Death Metal themselves to my favourite band of all time, Queens Of The Stone Age to PJ Harvey and the Arctic Monkeys have recorded albums out there. It’s a kind of Mecca for bands that want to escape it all, soak up the solitude and untamed desert energy and just do what bands were born to do.

So Red Huxley created a Kickstarter campaign to raise enough money to fly over to the States and record their first album with the co-owner and founder of Rancho, Dave Catching, who has played in both Eagles Of Death Metal and QOTSA.

It’s not only a dream come true for Red Huxley, but it’s also a South African first (far as I know) so it carries national significance for each and every South African out there! Of course, the guys needed a coupla faithful scribes to make sure the interwebs could follow their exploits which is where Kim from Motion City Films and Dan come into it.

The guys have been gathering content and Dan’s been posting regular updates on the trip which you can check out on his site. So far, they’ve put out 5 videos of their trip which you can watch here.

They’re pretty cool, they give you a great idea of what the place is like, but what’s been really awesome to see are all the pics the guys have been taking, some of my favourites of which follow below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What crazy place. I’m seriously interested to hear what Red Huxley’s album is going to sound like because holy shit, it looks like it’s been an insane ride.

I’ll get out there one day. It won’t be to live the rock n roll dream though, it will be with my daughter and J-Rab, cruising those dusty roads in a Cadillac like the guys managed to find, surrounded by “those on the fringes of the promised land, cut off from the American dream”.

One day Winking smile

-ST

15
Jun
11

Treefiddy Review: Arctic Monkeys – Suck It And See

Is this going to be an unbiased, objective review based on irrefutable, well-researched facts? Fuck, no! I love the goddamn Arctic Monkeys!

But if it’s any consolation, I know every album this band has ever recorded like the village drunk knows the sidewalk outside his favourite tavern so I can at least assess their latest offering having done my homework Winking smile

 

 

The Down Lizzo:

Arctic Monkeys made a name for themselves by perfecting the art of writing gigantic, energetic hooks and hammering them home effortlessly.

Then came Humbug, one of the first albums I ever reviewed on this site and with it, a complete departure from the sound they had carved out for themselves in their first two albums.

They enlisted Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age to produce Humbug and with his help their sound changed almost completely from infectious indie to dark, moody desert rock and God knows! I fucking love desert rock Winking smile

 

 

Did they like the direction Homme guided them in? As dark and compelling as it was, were they happy with Humbug?

Give Suck It And See a listen and it’s pretty damn obvious that the answer to those questions is undoubtedly “yes”.

 

Sick Tracks

The first time around “Brick By Brick” with its simple chord structure, dirty guitar licks and harmonious chorous is a winner, but after repeated listens the lyrics and Turner’s vocal lines get a little weak.

“I wanna steal your soul / Brick by brick / I wanna rock and roll / Brick by brick / I wanna rock and roll / Brick by brick / I wanna rock and roll” are definitely not his best lines which is a pity because it’s a great song otherwise.

“All My Own Stunts” on the other hand, though it’s strikingly similar to “Potion Approaching” off Humbug is a great track. It has a cowboy twang to its chorous and a bassline that moves insidiously beneath the surface lending the song a powerful menace that Turner’s vocals compliment perfectly.

 

 

“Don’t Sit Down Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair” is the most powerful desert rock anthem on the album, a great and wasted track that comes on like a bad peyote trip and peaks like the cleanest MDMA you ever tasted.

There is more, much more. This album has a lot of meat to it, plenty to sink your teeth into and it gets better with every listen.

 

Should You Give A Shit?

Give a shit my friends, give more than a shit. Give two shits because while I have yet to decide if this is their best album to date (Humbug will always have a soft spot for me) it’s a spectacular effort from a band that I have the utmost respect for.

Here’s “All My Own Stunts” to play us out. Take it away boys.

 

 

Final Verdict: 8/10