Woods @ The Lexington, London. 08/11
Upset the Rhythm brought to London one of America’s best kept music secrets, Woods, on a triple bill next to British counterparts La La Vasquez and Veronica Falls. Until recently Woods’ recordings had been rather underground; but their fourth album, Songs Of Shame, was picked by Pitchfork and some influential blogs as one of 2009′s best.
The record was released by celebrated indie label Woodsist Records, which has unveiled to the world works by artists such as Kurt Vile, Wavves and Vivian Girls; all sharing a common lo-fi factor and a love for fuzzy guitar distortion, be it garage, punk or psychedelic.
And their live set more than surpassed the high expectations. The singer’s high-pitched gorgeous vocals were enhanced by the band’s varied sonic landscapes, drinking from the best psychedelic and folk sources. Their DIY 2 tape player/1 amplifier/several pedals sound deck was at the centre of the stage, being manipulated in a trance-like manner, while adding lower than lo-fi cassette loops and effects to the equation.
The gig preceded a mini UK tour supporting freak-folksters Espers and The Cave Singers; more details of which can be found in their MySpace page. Catch them while you can!
