Thee Outernet: I like this record, Vol. I

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

I like this record, Vol. I

LOVE TAN 7" (SWEET ROT RECORDS)

I was at some record store a few months ago and my friend told me I had to buy the new 7” by Love Tan. I told her I don’t really buy 7”s much anymore, since I currently prefer LP’s, since I don’t have to flip them every 5 minutes while doing I’m doing my homework. She managed to show me that the 7” had 6 tracks and even promised to buy it off me if I didn’t like it, so I went for it....and thank god I did. This 7” is amazing...totally fresh and new sounding, but still giving gives nods to classic 90’s bands like Sebadoh, Pavement, Beat Happening and GBV...and that is all the earlier stuff by each of those bands, when they were writing catchy songs, but still keeping it pretty weird, lo-fi and fun. All the songs have simple, propulsive, almost krautrock-y drumming topper with some low-tuned guitar sometimes hitting the “psyche zone” (“Berlin Rumble, Pt. 1”). The cherry on top is Love Tan’s amazingly sexy, but not trying to be sexy vocals, kinda hitting that sexy-zone someone like David Yow did in the 90’s, but Love Tan hit it up in way way more sexy pillow talk kinda way. I would have to guess that this band rules to the point where you somehow know when one of the guys takes his shirt off when things get hot and heavy at a show, the whole crowd just swoons and rocks harder to their tunes. From what I know this band is a 2-piece from the west coast of the U.S.A. with some dude on guitar and vocals and another dude on drums and vocals. The drummer dude is in that band Factums. Since this 7” has 6 songs, it feels way more like a full-fledged EP and I would easily say it was the best 7” I heard in 2008...maybe tied with The Anals 7”, which was also released on Sweet Rot. Love Tan also have a great LP out, which actually has some sex sounds on it, which definitely pulls up the sexy factor...get it too. (M. McLean)