"where no one ever really wants to talk about it"
Athens, Greece based The Velvoids are an experimental indie duo that stir up a heady brew of sounds that flutter on the edges of bohemian folk, art psyche rock, and a sort of proto punk further mixed with busker absinthian edges. On their 2020 "Mother" album I thought of an amalgam of the Velvet Underground, John Lennon, Nilsson, 70's New York City and 60's Haight-Ashbury. You can hear the paisley hippie sway and garden rock guitars on the wonderful "Annah", the proto subversive of "In These Times" and the downturned druggish spiral of "Happy on the Thyme". The exquisite heartful ascending lilt of "Badgod" and the bending meditation of "Legs of Wood" feel like lost Beatles tracks pushed through Sparklehorse filters and are so beautifully transportive. The odd and reflective "Psycho Death Poem" feels like a descending dark midnight movie.
"Rake Your Mind", with an accompanying Official Video evocatively filmed and directed by photographer, Elly Economides, might feel slightly out of place (or not). First hearing it apart from the album, I got more of a strong sense of NOW... of affections possibly informed by post punk and post art rock tones (80's / 90's) but then I tend to over analyze things and the experimental nature of The Velvoids, aka Vice Lesley (vox / guitar) and Dorah X (drums, vox) pull from all places. It is the thing that divergent artists do and thankfully so. Their sound is densely rich with a filmic sense like an old house haunted with a familial melancholia. Dig it (as piano plays on).
"Rake Your Mind", with an accompanying Official Video evocatively filmed and directed by photographer, Elly Economides, might feel slightly out of place (or not). First hearing it apart from the album, I got more of a strong sense of NOW... of affections possibly informed by post punk and post art rock tones (80's / 90's) but then I tend to over analyze things and the experimental nature of The Velvoids, aka Vice Lesley (vox / guitar) and Dorah X (drums, vox) pull from all places. It is the thing that divergent artists do and thankfully so. Their sound is densely rich with a filmic sense like an old house haunted with a familial melancholia. Dig it (as piano plays on).
-Robb Donker Curtius
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THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
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The Velvoids are an Athens-based experimental duo originally formed in 2003. They released their first two EP's during that year and performed steadily throughout the local circuit, distributing their music and handmade merchandise at local venues, festivals, and record shops during the pre-social network era of the time. After completing their debut album in 2004, they continued to play shows and record new material before ultimately going on hiatus the following year.
The band re-emerged in early 2007, partially disconnecting themselves from their earlier sound, and began performing extensively again while taking part in several compilations, and releasing an array of singles and EP’s spanning from 2007 to 2018, many of which have yet to be issued digitally. They embarked on their first EU tour in 2009, later touring Greece and Europe again in 2011. They’ve shared the stage with Marky Ramone, Murder By Death, David J (Bauhaus), Giannis Aggelakas (Trypes), Black Lips, Dum Dum Girls, and Pierced Arrows. In 2014, they were asked by The Brian Jonestown Massacre to join them for their first appearance on Greek soil.
Their second full length POLYNESIA BABY was released in 2014 and repressed in 2015, gaining praise for their unorthodox approach to studio recording and instinctive songwriting. Following a series of shows in 2015, wanting to dedicate more time to their personal lives, they retracted from performing live and continue to release music. Their latest full length 'MOTHER' was released in March 2020 amidst the coronavirus lockdown.
Vice Lesley: Vocals, Guitar
Dorah X: Drums, Vocals
spotify
apple
youtube
The Velvoids are an Athens-based experimental duo originally formed in 2003. They released their first two EP's during that year and performed steadily throughout the local circuit, distributing their music and handmade merchandise at local venues, festivals, and record shops during the pre-social network era of the time. After completing their debut album in 2004, they continued to play shows and record new material before ultimately going on hiatus the following year.
The band re-emerged in early 2007, partially disconnecting themselves from their earlier sound, and began performing extensively again while taking part in several compilations, and releasing an array of singles and EP’s spanning from 2007 to 2018, many of which have yet to be issued digitally. They embarked on their first EU tour in 2009, later touring Greece and Europe again in 2011. They’ve shared the stage with Marky Ramone, Murder By Death, David J (Bauhaus), Giannis Aggelakas (Trypes), Black Lips, Dum Dum Girls, and Pierced Arrows. In 2014, they were asked by The Brian Jonestown Massacre to join them for their first appearance on Greek soil.
Their second full length POLYNESIA BABY was released in 2014 and repressed in 2015, gaining praise for their unorthodox approach to studio recording and instinctive songwriting. Following a series of shows in 2015, wanting to dedicate more time to their personal lives, they retracted from performing live and continue to release music. Their latest full length 'MOTHER' was released in March 2020 amidst the coronavirus lockdown.
Vice Lesley: Vocals, Guitar
Dorah X: Drums, Vocals
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