The Quiet Americans
The Quiet Americans is a lo-fi indie band from Fresno in the USA. Luke Giffen, Eli Reyes, Simon Smeds and Steve Loveless have just released their EP Medicine on limited edition cassette through Coattrack Records. The EP having been recorded on a Tascam 8 track reel to reel recorder. Once again many thanks to Banter Media for the introduction.
The Quiet Americans
8 track used to be called hi-tech, oh how times change and it still sounds as good now as ever. The earthy distortion fits like warm wax inside my ears. It’s all very well getting excited about an 8 track recording and the Ian Curtis t-shirt, but that doesn’t make for great music. Fortunately The Quiet Americans can put together a decent tune and the whole piece comes together as it should.
They describe themselves as pop-noise, so let’s run with that genre. The laid back guitar is harried by a crescendo of drum and a vocal insistent on maintaining the the intensity with a bass wafting between the two. The generous use of 10 on the volume record ensures enough distortion to convince that the speakers really do need replacing.
The art of these sorts of productions are as wrapped up in the effect of the recording on the sound as much as the musical content itself and The Quiet Americans have a keen ear to what makes this work.
Be Alone is the opening track of the 6 track EP – Medicine.
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