Where the River Meets the Rock
Van Cleef
© Copyright-VAN CLEEF
(884502828924)
Record Label: VAN CLEEF
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Described by one Aussie music journo as a diabolical shitstorm of rock, channelling everything from Queens of the Stone Age, Grinderman and Tom Waits to Deep Purple and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Van Cleef have filled their shotgun shells with the crushed teeth of their live audiences and now blast their debut album to the world…
”Songs that in their masterful delivery sound like they've been dragged through the gutter, given a few dozen shots of tequila, thrown behind the wheel of a monster truck only to drive crashing through a kindergarten.”
Spoz’s Rant
October 2010
But the rock is only one part of Van Cleef’s sonic arsenal. From the wild-card faded-velvet groove of John Stewart’s 1979 hit Gold, to the beautiful two-line murder ballad Claudia, which evokes the spaghetti westerns that starred the band’s namesake… it’s possibly the closing track – the cinematic instrumental Ghost Train Dog that makes them such a difficult band to pin down.
Background:
WTRMTR is the debut album of Adelaide space-rock four-piece Van Cleef, produced by Matt Hills (Wolf & Cub) at Hillside Studios, Adelaide, South Australia and mastered by JJ Golden (Sonic Youth, Calexico, Melvins) at Golden Mastering, Ventura, California.
Van Cleef formed in 2008 and rapidly built a strong following in the live music scene. Their debut 2009 E.P Intergalactic Porn Swamp gained much radio play and sold out via gig sales.
Van Cleef is:
Mike Gordon – Vocs/Keys
Christian Thompson – Vocs/Guitar
Adam Lloyd - Bass
Jonah Rudd – Drums/Percussion
Blending Southern gothic blues with swamped-out space rock, WTRMTR is the soundtrack to a road movie currently being filmed inside your own head... so pour yourself a double shot, sit back and close your eyes... the show's about to start.
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Van Cleef hits Gold
author: Roy
1967 Impala; 350 smallblock running at speed around 2AM on a hot Los Angeles night. The top is down and your friends are screaming like angry raccoons in the bench seat beside you, but all you can hear is the roar of the crossover pipes on a 4barrel Edelbrock running rich... Why are they screaming ? Why do I smell unburnt gasoline? Why am I racing against a new-model Mercedes on this twisty road? Can I handle the diminishing-radius curve I know is approaching? Did I have two, three double tequilas? Was it more? Will there be Police buying coffee at 7-11 when I approach the checkout with an armful of malt liquor?
If you have never asked yourself any of these questions you should avoid this album at all costs. It will blow out your BOSE speakers and your neighbors will call the FBI. Your yuppie friends will disown you & some teenager will spray a swastika on the hood of your Toyota in the parking lot at work.
Van Cleef's debut album showcases a natural talent for heavy weirdness. "Barracuda Booty Boogie" starts it off with a reckless burn. If ZZ Top shaved themselves bald and robbed their way through the deep South, this is the song they'd be playing.
"Gold" is the highlight of the album. Cleef goes straight for an oft-clichéd subject and pulls out a brilliant take on the California Night. For best results, pair with a fast run up Mulholland on a moonless evening full of crazed thoughts.
That's merely the first two songs on this excellent CD. If you're looking for something new and unusual, give Where The River Meets The Rock a shot (or five). I guarantee you won't regret it. Your lawyer may raise objections but that's why you pay the bastard. You'll play it more than you expected.
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