Times New Viking-Rip It Off

What is it about lo-fi punk bands that drives everyone crazy [in the good way...] these days? What with the phenomenal debut full-length from LA’s No Age and the long-standing underground successes of garage noise punk a la Japanther, Mika Miko, Black Lips, etc, it’s almost as if the lo-fi recording quality of some upcoming bands serves as a “seal of approval” for listeners everywhere that says, or even screams: “This music is so raw…you’re going to listen to the ****** quality, and you’re going to loooove it.” But in the end, you have to admit that this lo-fi stuff actually sounds, well, kinda good…not in terms of clean engineering or production, maybe, but as a complement to the bands’ sounds and attitudes about not only how they record their music, but how they choose to perform it live as well. Times New Viking’s newest release “Rip It Off” is a perfect example of how maxed-out instrumentation/vocals can be made to just work.

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, this noisy trio do their best on their latest album to capture the raw energy they have in a live setting into a recording and, quite frankly, do a pretty damn good job at it. The drums powerfully shoot through the mix (think Albini’s work on the opening drums to Nirvana’s “Scentless Apprentice”) as Adam Elliott and Beth Murphy are perpetually “in the red” as they max out their vocal tracks in every song on the record. One of the striking features of this album is the interplay of male and female vocals on the different tracks, and the overdriven recordings actually help to blend the two different singers’ voices in the mix. Imagine that…Times New Viking’s lo-fi has cred and practicality!

The variety on the album isn’t bad, either. Too often, I feel that these kind of lo-fi garage punk bands are one-trick ponies: Track 1 - Messy drums, distortion, screaming; Track 2 - Messy drums, distortion, screaming; Track 3 - Messy drums, distortion, instrumental; Track 4 - Same as Track 1/2. However, Rip It Off provides a nice blend of rock with tight ensemble, different moods, and fills/hooks/progressions that are interesting enough to hold your attention for more than 2 minutes.

Oh, and I have a huge crush on Beth Murphy. Whoops?

Give the album a listen, and add some more noise to your musical collection.