| CD REVIEW Times New Viking |
 |
|
Band : Times New Viking Nice surprise, this Columbus, Ohio based Lo-Fi Indie Rock trio known as Times New Viking. Taking their name from the typeface Times New Roman, the band was formed in 2004 by art school students Adam Elliott, Jared Phillips, and Beth Murphy, who'd been hanging around in a local Rock club together. Elliott was the only one with some musical training, so he took over drumming duties. The two others had never had an instrument, so Phillips took to the guitar while Murphy started fiddling about with the keyboards. It was also decided that both Elliott and Murphy would sing. The band's debut full-length Dig Yourself album was released through Siltbreeze Records in 2005, and the fact that the band took on lo-fi aesthetics, recording the material to cassette, soon enough drew comparisons to Guided By Voices' early records...in spite of the fact hat structurally GBV's heavily distorted and hissing sound drew influence from '60 Pop, where TNV rather goes for a more Punk-derived sound with shouted vocals, loud trebble-fused guitars, and distorted drums in a minimalistic setting with a certain repetition factor. This immediately categorized the band as part of the “Shitgaze” genre, alongside contemporary acts such as Eat Skull and Psychedelic Horseshit. Sophomore album Times New Viking Presents The Paisley Reich came in 2007, the CD version including 6 bonus tracks culled from 2 limited edition 7-inch vinyl-only releases predating the album. Reviews were generally positive, and the band's consistent touring ethics eventually resulted in a coveted support slot for Yo La Tengo and appearances at such important festivals as Coachella and SXSW...all of which considerably raised the band's profile. As a result the band moved to Matador for 3rd album Rip It Off. Released in January 2008 and produced by Mike Hummel (of Mike Rep & the Quotas), the album contained a staggering 18 tracks played in less than 31 minutes. Following critical success, the trio swiftly recorded the Stay Awake EP, a 5-track 7-inch of brand new songs. They also found time to play on the successful first Shred Yr Face tour (with Los Campesinos! and No Age) and toured with Super Furry Animals, Deerhunter, and Yo La Tengo. The band “upgraded” its sound by delivering the master recordings of their 4th album Born Again Revisited (released September 2009)on VHS, commenting that recording fidelity had been raised by 25 %. To coincide with their 2010 tour with Guided By Voices, the band released the 7-inch single No Room To Live, recording it in a proper studio for the first time in their career...and showing the band in a slightly changed mode: gone are hiss and fuzz, and vocals are sung rather than shouted. Dancer Equired was also recorded in a proper studio, and constitutes the trio's first album under their new American label Merge (for Europe a deal was ensured with Wichita. Soundwize, it's also a continuation of aforementioned single. As you will be able to hear from the songs posted at (www.) myspace.com/timesnewviking (the whole album, by the way!!!) the singers often sing together (Murphy on this album bringing lead vocals to two songs in a solo position, one the short acoustic album closer “No Good”), but only occasionally in harmony. Lyrics are reportedly full of Pop culture references, and have a certain repetition in 'em making for a sloganistic feel. Live promotion for the album on European soil started on April 21, and gigs in Holland are already well behind us. As we speak (May 9) there's still gigs to come in Spain and Germany before the trio returns home in mid May to start the US live promotion on May 26, with dates running well into July. For more info on the dates, check the band's own website (http///) timesnewviking.net. Oh, and before I forget, that site's home page is also where you'll find a video for this album's “Ever Falling in Love” (and videos off previous albums in the “Videos” section). 95/100 Tony. |