It might seem to be a self-deprecating band name, but Sloppy Heads gets you pretty close to what this band is about, if you focus a bit more on the heads part of the equation. Theirs is a group of record geeks’ loose-limbed expression of their influences that will attract like-minded music lovers with its unpredictable shifts in style and ability to have fun. After a string of 7″ and CDR releases, the band came to Union Pool to celebrate the release of their first full-length, Useless Smile, an album that is the fullest expression yet of their engaging, unselfconscious sound that draws on strains of garage rock, lo-fi, new wave, noise, and psychedelia. The Heads are a band with a lot of friends (James McNew of Yo La Tengo/Dump both opened the show and played on the album), and the combination of this music and crowd gave this show the vibe of a gathering in a cool kid’s basement in high school, with a better band and a more mature crowd (and band). Sloppy Heads gave us an hour-plus mixed with engaging tunes, good humor, and some quality jamming, most evidently as “I’ll Take My Chances” flowed into the uptempo “Love Is A Disease.” The energy climaxed with the frenetic “Resistance, Baby,” but the more thoughtful “Always Running” (the first song released from Useless Smile) was also a highlight. The Heads join Lambchop at the Bowery Ballroom on March 30, so make a date to hang with them soon.
I recorded this set with a soundboard feed from Union Pool engineer Robert, together with Schoeps MK5c microphones. The sound quality is excellent. Enjoy!
Stream and download this recording via our bandcamp page:
Sloppy Heads
2017-01-25
Union Pool
Brooklyn, NY USA
Exclusive download hosted at nyctaper.com
Recorded and produced by acidjack
Soundboard (engineer: Robert) + Schoeps MK5c (at SBD, PAS)>KCY>Z-PFA>>Zoom F8>2x24bit/48kHz WAV>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects, image)>Adobe Audition CS 5.5 (align, mixdown)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, balance, downsample, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks
01 Useless Smile
02 Plane To See
03 I’ll Take My Chances >
04 Love Is A Disease
05 [banter1]
06 Try Again
07 Langue & Parole
08 Resistance, Baby
09 Me Do Love
10 [banter2]
11 Always Running
12 Possession
13 Suddenly Spills
Support Sloppy Heads: Buy their new album on Shrimper Records.
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