With Gonerfest kicking off tomorrow, this seemed like the perfect time to check in on the garage-rock world with four fest-connected releases, two on In the Red and two on Goner itself:
Alice and Friends — The Box Elders (Goner): Nebraska-based brother band (guitarist Jeremiah and bassist Clayton McIntyre) producing lo-fi but relatively gentle garage rock with the crucial accompaniment of a two-piece/one-man musical helpmate (Dave Goldberg). This homemade debut album has its quirky charms — the basement where it was recorded symbolizes a self-created world that’s a pleasant place to visit. The physical reality of that basement’s a problem, though. Rather than making the low fidelity a useful sonic element (see Times New Viking, etc) or a meaningful extension of attitude or world-view, Alice and Friends just sounds poorly recorded. One suspects that better things await. (“Dave,” “Hole in My Head,” “Death of Me”)
Grade: B
The Box Elders play the Hi-Tone Saturday, September 26th, 11:15 p.m.
“Hole in My Head”:
