"hit the ground / dance around / play the chords / reinforce / stick it to the heat..."
The playdough art rock punkery of "Van Goes" by Austin Texas based Being Dead has prickly adrenaline spikes running across by skin. There is so much to love here and the fact that the wonkiness, the lovely abstractions are defined by such sideways progressive punkiness adds a big fat juicy cherry to this indie rock sundae. It is like the subversive nature of their art isn't meant to be taken seriously but it is seriously executed. Top to bottom, from the tightly wound rhythms and choppy sonic sounds punctuated by Falcon Bitch's and Gumball's evocative vocal back and forth barbs, the artful indie film magnetism is pitch perfect. I love it, gleefully.
In my head I have old school punk outfits like Suburban Lawns and newer iterations like SELF IMPROVEMENT (oddly both from Long Beach, California). When I wrote my thoughts about their track "Firefighters" (decidedly a bit more rabid) my mind went to a 'diverse amalgam of artists from OSEES, to Gang of Four, to Dedh, to Breeders, to Sparks, to Tiger Trap, to Metz, to Pylon' so I am enjoying the different flavors. One thing is for sure, Being Dead, thankfully, pull from whatever inspirations that is cooking in their heads and creating their very own artful thing. I can't even imagine how their sound will evolve over the next few or several years and I love not knowing.
"Van Goes" is the second single off of Being Dead's new album "EELS" out 9/27 on Bayonet Records and has it's own Official Video, awesomely lo-fily drawn and features Kevin Borazjani as the 'well-endowed pizza man'.
Here are some informative LINER NOTES excerpts (bracketed):
[Being Dead’s records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead’s psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil’ house in the heart of Austin, Texas.]
Yeah, I am totally blown away, again. Go here to stream / pre-order EELS https://bayonet.nyc/firefighters
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://beingdead.bandcamp.com/album/eels
https://www.instagram.com/being__dead/
https://www.facebook.com/beingdeadforever
Being Dead came upon the scene in Austin, TX five years ago with their distinctly right-brain songcraft, mischievous humor, and implausibly great vocal harmonies. Even as they’ve graduated from curiosity to cult favorites, I’ve yet to encounter a single person who dislikes Being Dead. The garagey psychedelic outsider pop band should be considered in the same category as rainbows and finding $60 in the pocket of a winter coat: incontrovertibly lovable.
When Horses Would Run, recorded at Radio Milk with producer/engineer Jim Vollentine (White Denim, …Trail of Dead, Spoon), spit-shines Being Dead’s sound without diminishing their weirdo-best-friend vibes. Their penchant for idiosyncratic lyricism and musical unpredictability shines in “Last Living Buffalo,” which finds Gumball and Falcon Bitch trading lines over a bouncy bop before skidding into a heavy doom breakdown. It stands in stark contrast to the gentle Laurel Canyon-style folk rock of “Daydream,” showcasing Being Dead’s extraordinary harmonies – at once plaintive, uplifting, and eerie. Their vocal interplay, however, can be just as good in contrast, like on “Muriel’s Big Day Off,” where Gumball’s garage punk monotone delivery and Falcon Bitch’s tuneful tenor volley back and forth in what sounds like the theme song for some Adult Swim cartoon. Being Dead is recommended if you like Devo, the Pixies, the Beets, Violent Femmes, or living your life like it’s an ungraded art project.
Being Dead, blendo rock, art rock, surf punk, punk, hybrid rock, alt pop, emo twee, power pop, metal, "Van Goes" (Official Video), new album "EELS",
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