|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LP
|
|
FTR 817LP
|
$27.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 9/4/2026
"Fifth solo outing by one of the founding guitarists of Elkhorn, who has also been an essential part of Jeffery Alexander's Heavy Lidders. Gardner is the master of several distinct styles. He can grab the ring of psych-eternity with rare surety. He has versatile outward-spiraling jazz chops. And I've even caught him playing a sort of avant doom metal like he was born Norwegian. I'll admit I haven't heard his last two albums (no promos I guess), but I'll bet they're pretty cool, since Rabbit Ears is a solid gas. The band this time is a quartet. Bassist Andy Cush and drummer Ryan Jewell are still present, with the new addition being guitarist Tom Malach (who is Cush's partner in Garcia Peoples) and the four tracks here are instrumental, loose and open. I am reminded in more than a few spots of Jerome John G****a's work of the early '70s, both in his duos with Howard Wales on Hooteroll, and on the extended tracks from Skullfuck, which Lenny Kaye characterized as 'pome tomes' in his Rolling Stone review of that set. Which is not to infer there is anything lazily referential or anachronistic about the tunes. The band's overall instrumental approach is as fresh as the just-torn veil of a psilocybin mushroom. But it is steeped in the tea of history. There's plenty of real melodic and rhythmic invention going on here, it's just done within a framework players and listeners have been exploring for half a century now. This lends the tracks a kind of faux familiarity that makes them as comfortable to sink into as a scented hot tub. You may have not heard them in this exact configuration before, but the notes documented here are all old friends and should be welcomed as such. A fine and hearty slab. Dig in." --Byron Coley, 2026
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
VHF 170LP
|
"If you've been following the wanderings of prolific psychedelic magicians Elkhorn, you might be surprised that Elkhorn guitarist Drew Garder's solo LP Wave Field is the most out and out 'rock' record on VHF in many years. Working here in a small group with excellent players Tom Malach (guitar), Andy Cush (bass), and Ryan Jewel (drums), Gardner cuts loose on a set of propulsive and swinging material that allows him to greatly expand his sound into unexpected areas. 'Rhizoid' starts with a sneaky groove riding the nimble bass and drums of Cush and Jewel before a leap into the ripping Sonic Youth/NEU! hybrid of 'Space Ray.' 'Shadow Casting Grass' brings things back down to end the side with some Elkhorn-adjacent gentle guitar weave backed again by the sly rhythm section. 'Wave Field' kicks off side 2 with an extended buzzy guitar raga with Cush's melodic and fat bass providing jammy counterpoint. The epic 'Mayan Bees' closes the LP with an extended workout on another extremely fine drum and bass ostinato, a hypnotic minor key riff that slow builds over 10+ minutes."
|
|
|
Artist |
Title |
Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
|
|
LP
|
|
FTR 547LP
|
"This is the first LP (following a cassette) released under Drew Gardner's name and it's a doozy. Drew is a guitarist, probably best known as a founding member of Elkhorn (although his musical partnerships with Jesse Shepard go back way further than that), and his recent work with Jeffrey Alexander's Heavy Lidders has also been noteworthy as hell. The band here is a trio with Andy Cush (Garcia Peoples) on bass, and the extremely well documented Ryan Jewell on drums. Drew's guitar playing is jazzy without being jazzoid, and rural without being hick. The four instrumentals the trio lay down are of a piece, and share a brilliant (if understated) flash. The closest comparison I can think of is to the pair of Raccoon label LPs cut by Joe Bauer and Noggins. Both Moonset and Crab Tunes were great shuffling sets of low-key trio improvisation hovering somewhere between the electric jazz of the period (1971) and the country-oriented British West Country progressive bands of the same era. The same can be said of Flowers in Space. The pieces here are all assembled without a lot of flash, but they're steeped in a deep and very stoned-sort of meditative state you might also compare to some of the Dead's more pared-down, low-key distensions of late '69. There's a smoky, frictionless ease to the sound. One that reveals a little bit more of its true nature every time you spin it. Recorded by Jason Meagher at Black Dirt in 2019, released as part of the Drowned Land series, this one's a smoker in a whole lot of ways. So sit down, lean back, and draw deep. You'll be damn happy you did." --Byron Coley, 2023
|