Mayhaps Record Reviews
Scenery "Blowing the Clambake/Soundtrack to Disguise the Lemon" (mhr004)
From Wichita, Kansas came Scenery, and into Wichita, Kansas they disappeared. Fortunately, they left behind two albums, and these have finally been issued on this hefty disc courtesy of the charming Mayhaps label. This impressive release collects the recording sessions for Blowing the Clambake and Soundtrack to Disguise the Lemon, documenting the full history of an obscure band that kicks quite a bit of ass. Blowing the Clambake was recorded in 2003 and revels in epic, Radiohead-inspired indie rock. These songs have an Arcade Fire-esque grandiosity to them, weaving propulsive guitar shimmers into warmly melodic songs. The sheer masses of sound occasionally seem disorganized in all their multi-leveled texture, but the overall effect is remarkably engaging. "You Have a Face for a T.V. Commercial" draws you in by way of its glorious enthusiasm, leading the way for highlights like chiming "First One, First Two" and momentous "See/Saw Through the Window." Raw, epic indie rock is the name of the game, and while it is slightly rough around the edges, this is remarkably complex and multifaceted stuff in the end. The incorporation of keyboards and strings into the equation, meanwhile, makes for a nice touch.
Recorded a year later, Soundtrack to Disguise the Lemon has been mastered at a lower volume than Blowing the Clambake. All quibbles aside, it takes the Scenery sound even further. This time sandwiching their main songs between brief, atmospheric interludes, the band has instilled in their music a heightened compositional complexity. "Magic Shoes" exudes a mid-nineties indie rock vibe paired with a more contemporary keyboard glare, while "Happy Socks" is a hazy experience replete with a couple of monster guitar solos. Soundtrack to Disguise is less immediate than the band's first outing, but it somehow feels like a logical progression for the band. The increased angularity of their compositions brings to mind work by Hurl, Taking Pictures, and A Minor Forest. Still, there is something significantly modern to their work, despite it already being five years old.
When you put two albums onto one disc, you're faced with two possibilities. Either you end up with good value, or you've produced a disc that goes on way too long and annoys the shit out of everyone. Fortunately, Scenery's first and last record can be slotted under the former case, not in the same sense as a discounted K-Tel compilation, but rather as an impressive selection of songs that illuminates the progression of a short-lived but worthwhile local act.
N.B. If this double-album doesn't quench your musical thirst, three out of Scenery's four members have carried on as Paper Airplanes, a considerably higher-profile affair that might be worth a look.
82%
Review by Matt Shimmer, Dec 27 2008 (www.indieville.com)
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And Academy "Aids" (mh003)
An hour of lo-fi pop music is difficult to pull off successfully, and while many have attempted the feat, few have sidestepped failure. Active for ten years now, And Academy has given it their best shot with the inexplicably titled Aids, and, well, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Going through this album, it frustrates me to no end how Aids can be at times so amazing, and at other times so mediocre. We'll begin with the bad news - Aids is a record that builds over time. In fact, the first two tracks are two of its worst. Although second track "Seven Years Breaking Broken Bad Luck and Good" has a warm bliss-pop sound, melodically it is one of this disc's dryest moments. Also lacking in efficacious hooks are "The Immaculate Divine" and "Hello Moon," though the dreamy, unique texture of the latter manages to save it from the waste bin.
Unsurprisingly, the best songs on Aids are the most original. And Academy are no strangers to unusual song structures, and this album is full of departures from the verse/chorus formula. The best song, "Blast Off," is a spacey, psychedelic rock song that builds rather than cycles; the end result is a lo-fi acid-rock classic with an absolutely killer melody. Also enjoyable are the shifting melodies of "Jugglin' Sunny Stars" and the psych-pop of "Rush'N Zap Attack," which transforms halfway through in to a magnificent instrumental. The beautiful sixties-drenched vocals and Moog-like synths of "Moonlighting Paula Jane" are also worthy of note to psych-pop lovers.
Aids is a unique and engaging lo-fi album that manages to transcend its production limitations to produce something distinctly its own. The frequently psychedelic pop experiment that results doesn't always work out - but when it does, it's truly something special.
78%
Review by Matt Shimmer, July 21, 2008 (www.indieville.com)
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And Academy "Her and Hurt, Hearts" (mh009 / LIE057)
Another superb release from an ensemble based in Wichita, US and who unbeknownst to us have been putting out release after release since 1998, most of which are sadly out of print and from the evidence of this album cassette all (probably) top-drawer gear. When their not creating intricate sonic bubble-scapes like the storm lashed 'Red wine walls and silk' with it's armoury of lush like swirling melodies, And Academy do a neat ethereal take on the Cure as though Smith and Co had been drip fed Prozac and forced against will to sit out in the sunshine as 'Miracle dare devil' so ably proves while all the time being booted into shape by the faintest of Spector-esque handy work diligently pulling the strings from the background. Still not convinced, then maybe the dream like inducing cosmically bound up curvaceous chords that cascade throughout 'Zero plus zero plus zero' might just make you swoon or the wax and wane like dynamics that softly permeate throughout 'Swim, bike'. Flip over to side two and things get a little more angst ridden, dislocated, angular and dare we say in our humble opinion better. Unusual time signatures become the byword as And Academy attempt to throw you off the scent, from the almost clumsy moodist mechanics of 'Warmer dead cold' which splutters out impatiently almost as if its tripping itself up on its own haste to reach you. 'Lovers and Daughters' really is something else as it cleverly manages to thread progressive rock templates with a gritty shoe gaze under carriage and emerges from the fusion with wind swept magnicence. Best of the set though is the uncharacteristically breezily lilting 'Barbara killed Roger'. Softly basking under clear extra terrestrial skies its what the words smooth and tender were made for, imagine Stereolab at their most serenely carefree making the Pale Saints hearts break. Another essential release I'm afraid.
(10-17-04, www.losingtoday.com)
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And Academy "Imported America" (mh003.5 / tkr001)
Their timed interaction of voice and beat is charismatic, and underscored well by jangly guitars and synth work. They communicate a Mid-Western anxiety set to North-Western tones, much like those associated with Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, etceteras, and come across as both intelligent and introvertedly friendly.
Review by Jason Dodd (HM Magazine, May/June 2001, Issue 89)
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Paper Airplanes "Boyhood" (mh001)
It's hard to do prog rock on the cheap, but Paper Airplanes give it the old college try on their debut album, Boyhood. The Wichita trio, augmented by a bunch of friends playing violin, cello, accordion, French horn, chimes, trombone, and trumpet, create complicated, overstuffed arrangements for their songs, which are usually melodic, even though the melodies only serve as a base for grandiose productions. Fearlessly disregarding the conventional demands of sound equalization and needles that go into the red, they record tracks that fill up the room, with instruments clashing and distorting in near cacophony at times. Then, suddenly, a track will stop on a dime for a second of silence or a single, clearly defined instrument, before things rev up again. Marcus Stoesz sings with adenoidal strain within these sound pictures, like a man barely keeping his head above water in a relentless tide, warbling abstract and impressionistic lyrics. The group's obvious immediate influence is The Flaming Lips, but they've clearly been listening to Pink Floyd, among other progressive rock bands. If they had more money to spend in the studio, and a bit more experience, not to mention a better sense of organization and more coherent songs, they might be able to make something of all this, and in the future, maybe they will. Boyhood is an earnest effort, even if simultaneously overdone and under-realized.
Review by William Ruhlmann (All Music Guide)