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.)

**.5

This article appears in March 14 • 2008.

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