Battles!!!!!
I have one of their records, absolutely love it. I caught wind of them via Tomahawk, Helmet, etc..
I have no idea if there's any relationship there; Vukovi is a Scot band, and I know of them because Hammish the guitarist is a nephew of a friend who's a mighty fine professional photographer; who also happens to drum a pocket the size of the Grand Canyon- Jonnie Miles.
During a very musically magical time in the 90's I used to go to "Church," and church was Tuesday night's in a basement rehearsal studio on 99th & Broadway to hang out with Shock Me Blue and partake of all things musical...
(Shock Me Blue, video from that space: )
To make the story short...(I know..lmao) One of my band's rehearsed there as well, and this was a mostly Marshall house of sound. I vaguely remember Jonnie bringing down a little curly ginger headed kid who had just picked up guitar to witness the RnR mayhem...and that was Hammish.
I'd like to think the experience may have had a part in turning him into a Marshall man, It was an awesome sounding space graced by some amazing musicians. :D
About the aesthetic of the sound though...Good EL34 amp power sections have these amazingly complex overtones when overdriven well, it's a swirl of harmonic goodness, while remaining tight and focused...something I've never really gotten from the Fender camp, but the Vox camp has some good overlap.
I've always wondered if those equipment characteristics draws a certain kind of rock "noise" player whereby one is intrigued by that aural texture, because it is very feedback reactive, and one is playing the "music within the music." That aural aesthetic in turn driving composition in a very physical sense because you're dynamically working a medium, I can't help but think of throwing a pot made out of air.
......and yeah, the math rock, syncopation like that makes my hairs stand on end, it's exciting, and yet to my ears their is still so much space for the vocal melody as she just casually meanders it right across the top of that precision sonic bombasity.
I'm so with you on the short songs. If it goes by fast and you have a shit eating grin on your face...Leave it alone! Don't add that bridge, or extra verse! Although I'm admittedly guilty of excess in some compositions...ahem.
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