Velvet Grooves

In late 2006 Fatcat released the debut album from Seattle based 'Welcome'. They're one of the new signings to the label, and it's easy to tell why they were signed to Fatcat. They're known for signing both exciting, fresh and interesting new bands. Welcome are certainly all three of those.

Their music is intelligent and psychedelic sounding like rock from the 60's with Lennon esque vocals. Their jagged, detuned guitars sound similar to Charlottefield, yet the overall sound is unlike a lot of the present music scene!... Oh! Ok, maybe Deerhoof! (one of Pauls' favourites!). More accurately though comparisons to a Beatles post-Revolver era will be made. Note that there're no real obscure instruments in this band - it's the standard guitars, drums, bass and vocals and homemade FX, blended together into something very different but also easily accessible to mainstream music today!

Just the opener of the album ('All Set') shows high credibility - it shouldn't work as music, but it does and brilliantly. Because I just can't stop listening to it! We're taken from a relatively quiet start to an explosion of detuned guitars. Rock from another world, it's so gripping it almost hurts!

The albums' rough sound is highly deliberate because they recorded it live in the bands basement with only one or two takes per song. It's this high chance of error in the recording which adds to the loveliness, because regardless of how 'wrong' it sounds, mistakes would probably add to the experience. Infact, if it sounded 'right' it wouldn't sound near as good... wrong is the new right people!!! ;)

Comparisons to Syd Barret are immediate on title track 'Sirs' where by this time the experimental mood thankfully still hasn't left the album. I'm hoping that they make it big sometime in 2007 because it'll be a damn shame if they don't. Anyone who likes Wolfmother should be into this!