The Uglysuit - "Iceland"
Young psychedelic sextet the Uglysuit construct big, catchy, sunny pop songs. The good-time feeling's something the Oklahoma City band clearly embraces: Sunflowers cover their eyes in one of their promo photos, another picture depicts a field of the plants in bloom. The words "psychedelic" and "Oklahoma" may evoke the Flaming Lips, but on the Uglysuit's self-titled Touch & Go debut, the guitar atmospherics, piano, keyboard, and layered voices backing frontman Israel Hindman are more comparable to a happier take on another Ugly band: Isaac Brock's Ugly Casanova. For all the elements, it's also a strikingly clean sound. The group's reportedly played together since their early teens, which could account for the seamlessness, as well as their ability to pull off the tracks shorthanded and without any help from the studio.
The premise of our new series Decomposed is to invite bands to perform in a stripped-down environment. In the Uglysuit's case, the six-piece becomes a three-piece and album standout "Chicago" becomes less anthemic and more insular and sad. On record, "Brownblue's Passing" propels itself with orchestral swells and instrumental flourishes; here, it's a knotty, folk ballad. And while the upbeat, marching "Iceland" makes use of Olivia Tremor Control/early oM vocal effects on The Uglysuit, in this unplugged rendition, Hindman & Co. sound just as good and gain a certain emotional rawness without the studio cushion. Sometimes when a band unplugs, it magnifies weaknesses. Other times, as happens here, it deepens your understanding of the group, adding a depth to material you thought you knew pretty well.
2 Comments
Leave a comment
The Uglysuit - "Chicago" (MP3)
Staff
- Founder/Editor-In-Chief: Scott Lapatine
- Executive Editor: Amrit Singh
- Senior Writer: Brandon Stosuy
Info
- About | Advertising | Newsletter | Playlist
Contact
Get Flash to see our mp3 player. Here are our mp3s:
Jonathan Boulet - A Community Service Announcement (The Album Leaf Remix) (»)
El Guincho - Antillas (XXXchange remix) (»)
El Guincho - Antillas (»)
Wolf People - October Fires (»)
Fan Death - Cannibal (»)
Fan Death - Reunited (CCENTURIESS Remix) (»)
Chll Pll - Dick Moves (»)
Chll Pll - Pass Out (»)
Beck - Harry Partch (»)
Tim Cohen - Haunted Hymns (»)
Tim Cohen - Take Aim Goliath (»)
Ducktails - Sandglider (»)
tUnE-YaRdS - Hatari (Drunkenmonkey Remix) (»)
tUnE-YaRdS - Hatari (Karn Remix) (»)
Beach House - Norway (»)
The Golden Filter - Thunderbird (»)
Crystal Antlers - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan Cover) (»)
CFCF - How Bizarre (OMC Cover) (»)
The Acorn - Strange Animal (Gowan Cover) (»)
Black Tambourine - Black Car (»)
Boyracer - Sunshine And Violence (»)
Henry's Dress - 1620 (»)
Honeybunch - Mine Your Own Business (»)
Lilys - Claire Hates Me (»)
Lilys - February Fourteenth (»)
Lorelei - Today's Shrug (»)
Sleepyhead - Different Colored Letters (»)
Small Factory - Merry-Go-Round (»)
Swirlies - Sarah Sitting (»)
The Ropers - Waiting (»)
Velocity Girl - My Forgotten Favorite (»)
Monsters Of Folk - Say Please (»)
Rain Machine - Give Blood (»)
Wetdog - Tidy Up Your Bedroom (»)
Beck - Little Hands (Feat. Feist, Wilco And Jamie Lidell) (»)
Brendan Benson - Feel Like Taking You Home (»)
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp (Memory Tapes Remix) (»)
Solange - Stillness Is The Move (Dirty Projectors Cover) (»)
Pearl Harbor - California Shakedown (»)
LoneLady - Immaterial (»)
Andrew Cedermark - Hard Livin' (»)
Family Portrait - Super Cool (»)
The Soft Pack - Answer To Yourself (»)
Bear In Heaven - Dust Cloud (»)
Bear In Heaven - Lovesick Teenagers (»)
Atlas Sound - Doctor (Five Discs Cover) (»)
Atlas Sound - The Screens (»)
Cloud Nothings - Hey Cool Kid (»)
The Mary Onettes - Dare (»)
The Mary Onettes - Puzzles (»)
Digital Leather - Photo Lie (»)
Memory Tapes - Easy Pert Mom (»)
Memory Tapes - Graphics (Sci-Fi Edit) (»)
Fantastic
Score = 2
this is still great!!!!!!!!!!!!!! keep on going
Score = 0