Vampire Hands should be the "it" band for rock schizos everywhere. Anybody who heard 2007's Virgin Dust American Lips or saw one of their jillion national shows knows the Minneapolis trio is the musical offspring of Can and The Nuggets--a fusing of sounds that bolsters this group of far-gone weirdos with a penchant for big drum beats and subtle melodies.
Me and You Cherry Red opens with "Statuettes," a headlong rush of jarring synthesizers and rhythmic drums (oh, the drums).
The drumming on "No Fun" is wunderbar, a child's war-dance on the toms, giving structure to the free-floating falsetto vocal flourishes.
"Heat-Fire" turns dreamier, with saturated washes of vocal and electronic sounds behind the main melody. It sounds simple, yet is still a bit difficult to process all of the sounds that are created here (that's a good thing)--the crashing chords, the faraway coos, the roll of the drums. The mix of sounds is so overwhelming that you can only open the sensory floodgates and hope for the best.
Cherry Red peaks with "Safe Word," which combinbes everything you want from a psych band--powerful drums, dizzying guitars and blissful lyrics (even if they allude to the bondage lifestyle)--in one tight package.
With the title track "Me and You Cherry Red"'s whispered harmonies and freak saxaphone, Vampire Hands' lastest record closes with palpable "cool," washing through every drum beat, guitar beat and sing-song chorus. |