Lions Care Recordings attacks again taking the regular and turning it inside out to something unfriendly and mean but oddly enough impressionable and so damn fucking cool. It was explained in yet another illicit substance fueled phone conversation that went from a bit of slurred words to bunches of slurred words, that CVTTVNMVVTH aka ‘Cottonmouth’ aka ‘VVVV’ is the culmination of factors that date back as far as High School-- really really High School-- coming to fruition.
From the same minds that brought you such glories as Batt_Lion, Sweet Starchild and the terminal heroes Railings, brings you VVVV. Yeah, the whole ‘VVVV’ thing was explained in yet more drug haze convos explaining exactly how 'that' works but honestly, you just had to have been there and I’m certain that you weren’t. Existentially loud and steeped in an archaic sort of self-made old world dark religion that encompasses bones, blood and grilled hot dogs, I’m certain that this music is only one burning church or so and/or a couple/few teenage suicides--with Toughsnake as a soundtrack--from greatness and the curse of notoriety.
Toughsnake is a success that has finally shown through the dark dead end AmeriCAN skepticism of Youngstown Ohio and captures the mundane dead-city attitude that I admire. Toughsnakes jean-jacket back-patch jams are laced with ambient effects ridden doomy sludge, with explosive moments at times and ambient psych moments others, but overall both creeping and creepish at the same time-- which isn’t easy to do. On Toughsnake creepy builds upon creepy. Its a multi-layered mind-fuck that many bands want to achieve but few rarely do.
The lyrics are cryptic and brooding but no lyric sheet is included. Boo hiss... That's my only gripe about this release. Toughsnake exemplifies paranoia as a new instrument that VVVV wield well. No, you can’t find it hanging on a wall in Guitar Center, its found under rotting tree stumps and only harvested during Autumn solstice. VVVV sounds dangerous/is dangerous. Its not like I have any Black Sabbath records, but If I did, I would burn them and then hang myself in my front yard next to the road with Toughsnake playing on repeat. But I mean, FUCK! The front yard is all the way out there and this couch is sooo comfortable... Lo' and behold: this whole 'couch apathy' fits in nicely with VVVV's Toughsnake as well! Whoever said apathy was uncool?
Yes, once more, the trademark sandwich bag combo of a compact disc A N D a cassette packaging holds true. It’s not a gimmick, it’s a method... As with all methods, there is a good explanation: You haven’t forgotten how in your earlier years in High School you’d score weed in sandwich bags? Well, Lions Care is still putting their drugs in plastic bands. This time the music IS the drug. Go fucking figure!
I highly--very verily highly--recommend this in more ways than one.
RIYL: Sleep, Hawkwind, Celtic Frost, All that Church Burning Norwegian stuff, Teenage suicides, Birthday Party.
Available as a CD/Cass. From Lions Care Recordings