Adam Payne 'Maybelline Weeks EP' on Malt Duck Records

Melissa from Malt Duck Records sent this Adam Payne single to me recently and I remembered loving the dark electronics of their previous Mattress single. Turns out Mattress has got a full length out recently on Malt Duck as well...have to pick that up.
Plus the Them Themselves or They single I was into a while back as well, MD's got a great consistent direction, always interesting stuff from this label, so I had high expectations for Adam Payne and this Maybelline Weeks 7".

The 'Maybe' Side is a track from 2006; 'Onallisalland'. Great booming kick drum pounding through the speakers right away, with a peppy carnival organ pounding, like that (I had to look it up, it was one of those things driving me completely insane) The Riviera's 'California Sun'. The vocals are distorted with a bunch of layers, so I think it's going into a garagey feeling thing until the acoustic guitar comes in perfectly clean...no 'low-fi' filter on the whole thing here. The vocals get further and further out there with a doppler phaser thing taking over by the end, it's always changing enough and catchy to keep me going back to the beginning for another listen. A little Kurt Vile sounding even, solid pop with some interesting influences and experiments.
There's that playful feel to the recording, to hell with mistakes, there aren't any, just keep it, the more over the top the better, the first take is always the good one, when you aren't even trying. Combine with that California attitude and 'Everything's alright'... over and over...indeed. It certainly sounds like it.

The 'Side Lline' Side, '...if you...' is from 2009, an acoustic based track, deep on the muffled bass end, so you know you're hearing lots of punched down tracks upon tracks.He doubles layers of vocals here, through a messed up mic, swapping back and forth every verse with a shaker sound left and right. Those little details let me know there's a lot of thought here, in crafting essentially a pop song, but pushing the weirdness as far as possible. It's still related to the '06 track on the A-Side, same foundation of style. I heard he has a full length on Holy Mountain that's nothing like this, so if these are demo's or side project things....well I want more.
I think it's a lot like if Ween covered Nodzzz, start with that laid back vibe and then speed up the vocals, throw in a serious fuzz guitar solo, out of nowhere, sincere ridiculous vocals and you'd have some idea of where the Payne is going, it's classic 4-track, go where no one has gone before goodness.

Get it from Malt Duck Records...their third release, and I'm sold, I gotta hear more...of Adam, and Malt Duck.

MDR 003 ADAM PAYNE 'Maybelline Weeks' is currently in print.

Released August, 2009

300 Pressed --- 4$

- Malt Duck

Quick note: Got an email from the guys of Scribbler and the Radiator Family (check out the interview on the embedded player) just saying they've set up and online store and you can easily order all their stuff direct from them...nice.

We have a website where you can order our stuff now.
http://theradiatorfamily.blogspot.com/