Search - Visitations :: Visitations

Morality is but a stupid clown

Jason NeSmith | Athens, GA | 01/23/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When the conquerors of our future conquerors open the time capsule containing this record, they will dedicate a team of specialists to decode its contents. This emission comes indirectly from the world of Indie Rock (being associated with Fablefactory and other Elephant Six projects), but is more influenced by folk music, world music and Art Bell. Hi-fi and lo-fi do not come into the equasion here as the songs sound as they must, being elaborations on fortunate mistakes, or technical visitations. The lyrics concern different kinds of visitations, be they alien, religious, perverted and otherwise. The music is cynical, doomed, humorous, and psychedelic. Like a David Lynch movie, Visitations gives you many clues to some kind of puzzle, but ultimately this puzzle is not to solve but to experience."

Fuzzing away

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 11/27/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The Visitations are one of the lesser members of the extended Elephant 6 "family," a sort of experimental fuzz-folk-rawk band. If that makes any sense.



And with their only album -- also self-titled -- it's not too hard to see why they haven't become as big as Neutral Milk Hotel or the Apples in Stereo. It's a serviceable collection of music, with some wonderfully strange songs. But at the end it's rather hard to remember any of it.



It opens with "Grease Monkey," one of the most unnervingly freaky songs I have ever heard. There's just a periodic drumbeat, soft rustlings, and a creepy, slimy voice that recites the disgusting hygiene of "grease monkey." "Grease monkey, grease monkey/suckle on my lobe/grease monkey, grease monkey/tickle on my toe..."



Assuming that that wretched song didn't drive you back to bed for the rest of the day, the rest of the album is much better. Not that that's saying much.



The Visitations careen out into "It's Superstition," a rockabilly-esque song that's loaded with fuzz, and occasionally interrupted by synth interludes. More endearing is "Blessed Flying Objects" a rainy-day folk tune, and the quirky clattery charm of "Winky Fink," which sounds like a banjo cover of a children's song.



From there on, the band segues through a series of blurry rock numbers, with creepy alienesque vocals and countryish tunes. This rather short album winds up with a soft folky number, full of rippling acoustic guitar, and then a fragmented experimental tune, "The Disappointing Pugilist."



Listening to "The Visitations" is a little like being abducted by mechanic aliens on a used UFO, who have inexplicably decided to play the banjo and guitar. The whole thing is filled with an ominous, grimy feeling, and odd noises that sound like creepy machinery.



If other Elephant 6 bands are lo-fi, then the Visitations are subterranean-fi. They fill the music with banjo, guitar, chimes, and the whole thing sounds like it was recorded in an empty gym. Moreover, some of the songs are filled with fuzz and spooky synth effects, which buzz and hum in the background.



The Visitations create some amusing songs, but the resulting album never gels into anything that striking, unless you want theme music for an alien abduction."