“(My Head)/R.I.P. Allegory” is the newest recorded output by the frantic lo-fi scuzz fuzz wunderkinds from Columbus, and one of my favorite bands, Times New Viking. This 7″ is the first thing they’ve put out since signing to Matador, and the title tracks will be featured on their forthcoming album, Rip It Off. Don’t worry, folks–Times New Viking hasn’t taken Matador’s big city money and abandoned their paper cup and string recording technique, or however the hell they manage it. The guitars still crackle, howl, and sting. You still can’t tell what the hell they’re singing about half the time because the recordings still sound as if Bob Pollard himself, circa 1993, rubbed his cigarette butts all over the tapes, but it doesn’t matter. Times New Viking resurrected the mighty Siltbreeze label a couple of years ago; they were the perfect band to do so, since they embody the Siltbreeze sound better than any band since The Dead C, and now they’re going to infuse some life in the lackluster Matador Records lineup. These songs are some of their best yet, and I’m finding myself playing them on repeat. The move up to a bigger label was inevitable for TNV, and I’m really glad that they stayed true to their East Coast roots and went with Matador. No matter how many boring records Matador puts out, the fact that they released Guided By Voices’ Alien Lanes, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282’s Strangers from The Universe, and, most obviously, Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted means that they’ll always be cool, and they’ll carry even more clout now that they have the new kings (and queen) of lo-fi harsh pop jangle.
Take a listen for yerself: “(My Head)/R.I.P. Allegory” MP3
Oh, and here’s some live Times New Viking action, which visualizes the white noise, via some righteous YouTube member:
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