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forest giants
ufo stories • breaking down records • 2005
I wasn't that enamored of the Forest Giants track on the Homemade Hits Vol. 2 compilation, but the band have redeemed themselves in my eyes (or ears as it were) with this 6 (or 8, depending on the pressing) track e.p. Really, they had me at "hello" with the disc's title and cover art.
After a brief dialogue clip, the first track starts with a burst of distorted guitar, and the crashing noise-pop perfection proceeds from there, borrowing some spaced-out sounds (and alien-craft theme) from Flying Saucer Attack. Even when they trade the electric guitars for acoustics on tracks like "Peculiar Feeling" (a tribute to the late Elliott Smith) it's still a thick, spacious sound. They owe an obvious debt to predecessors like The Velvet Underground and Galaxie 500 on the tracks "Sunrise" and "Late Night in the Park," and the title track veers from pop territory, being a spoken-word tale of a close encounter over an ominous atmospheric instumental track. There are two unlisted bonus tracks on the first pressing: the first is an interlude consisting of a pulsing, thrumming bass sound that sounds not unlike a cat's purr, and the second is a shimmering, jangling lo-fi pop number called "World Goes Round" which is a very nice bonus indeed and a great way to cap off this gem of a disc. (mike.08.05)
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in sequence • invisible hands music • 2004
Beatnik Filmstars were one of the great bands of the 1990's. You may have seen the legendary Bristol, UK band opening for The Flaming Lips, Superchunk, or maybe Guided By Voices on one of their US tours. If you're reading this, you probably own their CDs on Merge Records. Or maybe you've heard any of the five (five!) Peel Sessions they did in their too-short career.
After Tim Rippington left Beatnik Filmstars in 1998, he took a reprieve from their hectic rock-star schedule and instead devoted his time to work and kids, writing songs in his free time under the moniker "Forest Giants". After meeting bassist Ruth Cochran at a playgroup for their children, Tim convinced the former Blue Aeroplanes member to join him, and after adding Jo Head on drums, he set out to commit these 9 tracks to an 8-Track (heh). The result is a lo-fi ramshackle glorious debut. While the production is a little rough around the edges, the high quality songwriting shines through regardless. (janice.02.04)
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