Whales

What a weird little EP. Post-punk, psych, garage, and a classic rock edge... and somehow every track on this thing sounds like a different band. I hate to compare these guys to Bauhaus, but. Atmospheric, minimalist, some cultish chants, the most prominent instrument is usually drums. Wavering, off-key, at times distorted vocals.

Whales are Ryan Adlaf & John Nixon, out of LA. Other than that, I have no idea where they dropped from. Their MySpace link is invalid. I can’t find their label either. They are veritably absent from the intertubes. This is the way local music should be!

try: 3, 2
FCC: 4

1. “whoa whoa whoa whoa whales”? short & silly introducing-the-band pop punk song. hollow drums, driving guitar, high keys.
*2. faster/chaotic psych rock. garagey electric, quick drumrolls, echo-back vocals, really exuberant “ooh!”s.
*3. goth rock. stick-drums and an eerie/repetitive “bela lugosi’s dead” guitar lick. witchy munchkin/chipmunk vocals. chanty emo chorus: “i wish i was dead / i want to disappear”, etc.
4. FCC weird electro. snappy drum machine & bass. callbacky verse, handclaps, thin shrill guitar doubles vocal melody. a little like gang of four.
5. bright, melancholy emopop sound. cricket-noise percussion, mainstreamy vocals and shimmery guitar. a heavier chorus, then a post-punky guitar bit / bridge.