Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Crocodiles

I've got a review up at Dusted today of the very buzzy duo known as Crocodiles...whose Summer of Hate I enjoyed a lot more than I expected to.

Christ, this review takes a while to get going, but follow the jump and it'll all make sense:

Lately lo-fi has become the equivalent of distressed jeans. Where once it was an artifact of things like poverty, unfamiliarity with recording equipment and the mental instability that comes with not getting out much, now it’s just another fashion statement. It’s a signifier, an extra layer and, all too often, a way to hide substandard songs. There are probably textile workers in Guatemala who will run your CD-R through an acid bath for a couple of dollars, and it’ll sound just like Wavves. So, when I say that Crocodiles, out of San Diego, are another one of those reverb’d, lo-fi garage psych bands carrying heavy baggage from Jesus & Mary Chain, there’s a suppressed sigh in there somewhere. There’s an emphasis on the word “another.”


And yet, Crocodiles’ first full-length, is quite a bit better than fellow San Diegan Wavves, at least a couple of notches ahead of Crystal Stilts and, oh, far better than Vivian Girls (though maybe not quite as enjoyable as Pains of Being Pure at Heart). Its evocation of the Jesus & Mary Chain, “I Wanna Kill,” hits all the right notes: the subtle roar of feedback under sweetness; the claustrophobic echo of reverb in tight quarters; the dissonance between hook and lyrical murderousness. The main drawback, if there is one, is that it’s too perfect. It sounds an awful lot like “Happy When It Rains.” It’s a kick, but a guilty one.

Read the rest

Crocodiles (the band)


Crocodiles (the reptiles)

8 comments:

cuddlefish said...

Yes, the album was better than I expected it to be. (I gave it a "6" rating.)Time to pop in Darklands in the Cd player.

btw I loved this line from your review:

There are probably textile workers in Guatemala who will run your CD-R through an acid bath for a couple of dollars, and it’ll sound just like Wavves.Cheers!

jenniferpkelly said...

Thanks Clif..are you liking the Mika Miko? I love that.

Turkey Sandwich, hah...

cuddlefish said...

The Mika Miko album is one of the better ones that I've heard so far this year.

Thanks!

Ian said...

Damn, I think I need to hear this album. Oh, and if you haven't seen Mountains live yet, Jenny, you absolutely need to... the tour CD-R they've got is pretty fantastic too, if you'd like to hear that.

jenniferpkelly said...

Hi, Ian. I don't have it with me, but if you want, I'll send it later.

I bet Mountains was good...they were just playing Boston which seemed like too much of a haul.

I had a pretty good time on Sunday at Ponytail/Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

I should put some photos up.

Ian said...

Yeah, if you wouldn't mind I'd love to get ahold of the Crocodiles record.

Syd The Squid said...

i'm rather enjoying this too...

jenniferpkelly said...

Yeah, it's fun, maybe not much more than that, but that's all right.