Columbus, Ohio's Times New Viking made the weirdest recording decision on their most recent album Rip It Off for Matador Records. Basically, they decided to make it sound like shit. To say they went a little crazy with the treble would be an understatement. Describing the recording as "messy" gives dirty rich hipsters a bad name. Equating this with lo-fi is an offense to the $15 dollar Radioshack microphone I got when I was 12. Saying Rip It Off sounds like it was recorded in a dented and corroded tin garbage can does not do it justice.
I just thought it was an odd choice, considering how good these songs are. But it's hard to rock out to Times New Viking when you get traces of a headache when your mouse even hovers near this album. Anyway, I guess it's supposed to capture the glory of old-school lo-fi punk rock like The Muslims and Titus Andronicus are currently doing. Or maybe it's just intentionally supposed to be annoying as a statement against technology... or something. Either way, hopefully they've changed their stage mix so these songs can shine through the madness. Otherwise, the club's bar and bathrooms are going to be VERY crowded. |
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