Times New Viking
Thursday
Reviewed by Audra Schroeder, Fri., March 14, 2008
Times New Viking
Rip It Off (Matador)2005's sloppy, clanging Dig Yourself and last year's basement party, Present the Paisley Reich, made Times New Viking the poster adults for lo-fi's "revival." For their Matador debut, the Columbus, Ohio, trio decided to stick to the blown speaker standard, resulting in the 16 songs/30 minutes of Rip It Off, their third home-recorded LP. The sound's atrocious throughout, especially when Jared Phillip's guitar, Adam Elliott's crash-centric drums, and Beth Murphy's overloaded synth are all vying through those speakers. And yet, TNV manages to distinguish a few solid songs from the clamor: "RIP Allegory" is a quick jerk through early 1990s noise pop; "Mean God" and the GBV-invoking "Another Day" both tighten their harmonies and melodies. It'd be nice to hear what's under the boom and hiss. (Thursday, March 13, Soho Lounge, 1:20am.)
