STEFAN CHRISTENSEN & FRIENDS Empty Plateaus (The Loki Label - 2016)
Stefan Christensen (ex-Estrogen Highs) is really on a tear this year. Empty Plateaus is not his most recent, but it has four songs (two short, two long, including a cover of the Dead C’s only MTV hit, “Bad Politics”) and they’re all superb. The longer cuts remind me of last year’s stellar Mountain Movers LP in the way they stumble forward into these twisted villages of extended psych without telegraphing it at all. That Mountains Movers record was one of theeee best ‘Best Reasons To Write A Fuckin’ Record Review In 2015′ and makes me think all the jokes about Connecticut’s music scene(s) over the years not having to do with Dave Brushback* should be rescinded, and this tape is right in that league. There’s a cabal in that state doing violence to popular song in the best of ways.
Much of Christensen’s stuff can be found at the C/Site Recordings store and it’s all GREAT…BUY.
PS: @thelokilabel
*actually, if it wasn’t for Dave’s irrational efforts, far fewer people would know about this stuff/long may he take photos of his record store excursions
Hey now!
