Every now and then, we like to make an exception here at Ground Control for great albums which are not exactly current, but are so great we kick ourselves for not having been the ones that brought them to your attention in the first place. In this edition of the Vinyl Vlog, we bring you just that.
Out of left field and completely outside of my radar comes the debut album by Ex-Cult (formerly Sex-cult). This garage punk band from Memphis fits perfectly into the Goner roster and hopefully this album is just a taste of the things to come. Seeing them live sparked an interest and their self-titled album which, came out very late last year, is definitely a conversation starter.
The Ex-Cult album was recorded by Ty Segall in San Francisco and the result is definitely unique. First of all, it's recorded in mono and, although the album sounds live, the guitars sound like the guitarist decided to stand in a separate room; thereby giving them a very distant sound. With an echoey and throaty shouting of vocalist Chris Shaw, Ex-Cult have created an album which sounds threatening, raw, unpolished, simplistic, rocking and full of energy, and I am absolutely furious I had not heard of them until now.
Now the vinyl. Unlike major labels who clearly only see vinyl as another way to make profit, Goner is one of those labels which has understood the importance and fun involved in making the medium and have done so from the very beginning. The price alone ($12) is testament to that. You get the MP3 download of course, and beautiful red wax for a special touch that an album like this doesn't need, but is welcome anyway.
A wonderful, energetic and overlooked album for 2012. Get it!
Artist:
www.excult.bigcartel.com/
www.facebook.com/pages/EX-CULT/
Album:
Ex-Cult's self-titled album is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
