Some Velvet Sidewalk's Al Larsen has emerged after a decades-long hiatus from music with Value Added, joining forces with drummer Ian Vanek (ex-Japanther) and Ian's brother Matt. "Tell Us Like We Are" crackles with wry lyrics and jagged guitars—it's like traveling in time back to the urgent immediacy of the 1990s love rock revolution, but with one eye taking in today's absurd tragedies and tragic absurdities.
Oh -- did I mention that Al's lyrics are hilarious? And tragic? Just listen to "Endless Grid" and tell me what you think.
compact disc is released by Harriet Records, cassette tape is released by Small Craft Advisory
"Former members of SOME VELVET SIDEWALK and JAPANTHER board a time machine bound for the heavy fuzz and wry, observational songwriting of the late ’80s-mid-’90s subterranean rock scene. Opener “Inside/Outside” and “Endless Grid” could have nestled nicely on SONIC YOUTH’s landmark Sister LP but also recall the thick layered distortion of bands like CHAVEZ and DEAD MEADOW. The slow-moving grooves here are enough to get your head bobbing, and the lyrics are frequently funny. Take the rambling storytelling of “Endless Grid”: “I’m at my desk and my phone is ringing, but it’s not ringing cause it’s 2022 so it’s this nice melody thing / I pick it up and I can see the name of the person calling, which still fucking amazes me / And so I say ‘Hi Dylan, it’s nice to hear from you, what’s up?’ / Dylan is 22 and he says, ‘I’m living in Albany, I have six roommates, we just moved the drums into the living room because it’s getting so crowded in the basement!’ / And I say ‘Oh, that’s great to hear, it sounds like you’re in a community, that’s really important’ / And Dylan says ‘Yeah! things are going pretty good’ — and I want to say ‘Don’t take drugs!’” That’s the first verse out of three, and after a while, you’re like, “What did he say next? What are Dylan’s plans?” There are also a few instrumental fuck-arounds (I’m pretty sure “Unroll (Unroll Inside)” was just an excuse to play with a vocoder), but they thankfully don’t take away from the vibe too much. If you miss the heady, honey-thick tones of years past, check this one out." - - - Nick Odorizzi, Maximumrocknroll
Also available:
Wild Gift, Music by Robert Christie and friends 1984-1996 (Harriet Records) CD