Buellton - Avenue of the Flags
(Film Guerrero)
Sounding like Wheat without the insane Tom Petty influence, like Rex without the post-rock aspirations, like a countrified Mercury Rev, like a Flaming Lips minus the drug influence, like Songs: Ohia if they were any good... the list goes on. So, what are you thinking? You're thinking, "yeah, doesn't sound very original, I don't think I'd like it". Well, you'd be wrong, then, G-Money, because Buellton, a pretty much unknown alt-country (Alt-country? Are they alt-country, even? Are we still using that term?) band that are dangerously close to flying under the radar of everything.
The record begins with three tracks that tug at the heartstrings with their plaintive lyrics and weeping instrumentation. "Single", "Dark", and "The Flow" are each on their own pretty strong--especially "Dark"--but taken as a cohesive, three-song unit, they're a devastating introduction to an album that seems pained by a heartfelt loss. Like I said before, "Dark" is probably the best of these three, with lead vocal-man John Nygren singing in a high falsetto, "why are you so dark?"
Another highlight to this record is "Angel Feet", a fuzzy, two-minute song that's full of really understated beauty. Bringing back the Flaming Lips reference again, "Angel Feet" reminds me of the opening to "The Abandoned Hospital Ship", from Clouds Taste Metallic. Soft, pretty, and with strange background noise akin to the clockwork whirring on "Hospital Ship," it's a pretty great song. This is followed by the rocking "Sellblocks" (sic), which is another great one. They stop that mad flow with "Pistolgal," which is too languid, and doesn't go anywhere. But "People Die" easily makes up for this stall. Dual male/female vocal harmonies, layered sound, and brushed drums equals pure excellence.
I could keep going on about why I like Buellton so much. I could say "yeah, I've been feeling the country lately these days, so Buellton is perfect", or I could make fun of Songs: Ohia a little more. I'm not going to do either. This is an album that bridges summer's poppy-ness (or, the liking of popular music over the summer, I should say) with a sadder, slower feeling that adds a depth to the music that wouldn't otherwise be there. Highly recommended.
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