Artist : The Beasts Of Eden
Album : End Times
Label : Expansion Team Records
Genre : Indie
Bitrate : 214 kbps avg
Source : CD (LP)
Playtime : 00:21:31 (34.4MB)
Rls date : 2007-05-30
Store date : 2007-06-26
[Track List]
1. Malou 2:27
2. Skin 3:39
3. Sylvia 2:28
4. End Times 4:13
5. Only Good At Looking 2:48
6. Let Me Down 5:56
THE BEASTS OF EDEN End Times
Slouching towards Brooklyn to be bornà
Chris V û lead vocals, guitar
Chris Boosahda û backing vocals, lead guitar
In the superheated crucible that is New YorkÆs underground
music scene, style can sometimes overshadow substance.
Even though The Beasts of Eden have already emerged as
seasoned arbiters of both, the one thing that matters
above all for this Brooklyn-based foursome is the music.
Whether theyÆre packing clubs with their high-energy,
hard-driving live show, or working the controls in the
studio with confident wizardry, the Beasts embody a
phenomenonùand a meticulously crafted soundùthat promises
to take the rebel spirit of alt-rock in a whole new
direction.
End Times is the bandÆs sparkling debut mini-LP for the
maverick Expansion Team Records label, and according to
frontman Chris V, the sensibility behind the album is not
quite as apocalyptic as its title may imply. ôItÆs a bit
of a dark take on the world being crazy right now,ö he
explains, ôbut weÆre not trying to get too literal with
religious symbolism. We have a sense of humor about it,
but thereÆs also a theme of relationships ending, which is
where the song æEnd TimesÆ gets a lot of its meaning;
thereÆs a duality to it.ö
A native New Yorker, Chris V got a major dose of that
duality firsthand on 9/11. Forced to rethink his entire
creative worldview, he left the city to pursue an almost
monastic existence in Florida, where he enrolled in a
multimedia arts school to study audio engineering. There
he met guitarist Chris Boosahda and immediately the two
connected on multiple musical levels. ôEvery now and then,
youÆll meet a musician who you totally vibe with,ö
Boosahda recalls. ôWeÆre different
peopleùpersonality-wise. IÆm kind of æin-your-face,Æ
whereas Chris can be a bit more introverted, but
regardless, I was a huge fan of his music, so we kept in
touch after we left Florida.ö
Chris V returned to New York and set up his home recording
studio in a Brooklyn loft. Meanwhile, Chris B went on the
road with a few other bands, eventually settling in
Austin, Texasùbut the pull to make music that would pack a
lasting punch was simply too strong. ôItÆs the classic
story,ö Boosahda says. ôWe had always talked about how
much fun it would be to put a band together, so I came to
New York and we did. Finally, sitting there one day, it
was like, æMan, we really gotta do something with this.Æö
After word got out on the Brooklyn grapevine, the duo came
upon bassist Jon Shaw and drummer Carter McLean, and
suddenly the fire was lit. In search of a band name, Chris
V turned to references that were both literary and
slightly leftfield. ôI am a big fan of the John Steinbeck
book East of Eden,ö he explains, æbut thereÆs this other
New York character I grew up with - a 6Æ8ö firefighter
named Joe Hunt. HeÆs a force of nature and heÆs known as
the æwarrior poet.Æ I used to record JoeÆs poems and he
was always talking about æthe beast, the beast is out
there.Æ I guess that slowly seeped into my consciousness ö
Recorded and produced at Chris VÆs loft studio, End Times
is itself something of a force of nature. Jam-packed with
infectious hooks and expertly layered vocal harmonies, the
album captures the swirling energy and urgency of a fully
revved-up rock band. ItÆs a collective pulse that jumps
like a live wire through the jagged head-banging riffs of
ôSkin,ö the classic radio-ready guitar pop of ôOnly Good
at Looking Goodö or the sprawling psychedelic waves of the
epic ôLet Me Downö (mixed by Mike Majorùknown for his work
with Texas indie rock legends At the Drive-In, whose
guitarist and lead singer went on to form The Mars Volta).
In whatever mode they choose, the Beasts move with the
seductive ease of some new breed of rock nÆ roll animal.
ôWe do have a lot of influences,ö Chris V confides, citing
the eclectic range he shares with Chris B, including Kurt
Cobain, Steely Dan, Sonic Youth, Miles Davis, King Tubby
and even Megadethùa kaleidoscopic palette to say the
least. ôWe want to keep going with that. I canÆt write in
just one style. ItÆs hard these days because most rock
bands really have their aesthetic locked down and for us,
we want to keep different tastes and different styles on
the same album- thatÆs how weÆre gonna stand out.ö
End Times will be available this Summer from Expansion
Team Records. For more information, visit
www.expansionteamrecords.com & click on The Beasts Of
Eden.