- Release date:
- April 15, 2008
- Artist/Band name:
- Mt. Wilson Repeater
- Record label:
- Eastern Fiction
- Official Web Site:
- http://www.easternfiction.com/
- Overall User Rating:
-
(1 rating)
Why you should care: There may not be a more well designed mechanism for clearing your mind than this lava lamp of a record. From the drifty psychedelics of "The Conversation" to the dreamlike lull of "Basketball Song" and onward, Putnam's one-man band can soundtrack with the best of them. Shelve the anti-depressants, people. You've got new medicine.
Verdict: Putnam's voice is an ethereal component, but a minor actor in what ends up being some rather intricately designed sonics. The aerial guitars of "Everyone Say Hello" approximate the drone of similar bands like the Sleepy Jackson or Mice Parade, while the acoustic atmospheres of "Islands in the Sun" recall "Meddle"-era Pink Floyd, which is to say both tunes captivate. Those looking for head-banging riffage need not apply; even the bouncing strums of "Out Country Way" or the lo-fi rock of "Pencils/Pens" take patience. Putnam likes to keep it spacey—after all, his band is named after the mountain which houses L.A.'s most popular observatory.
X-Factor: Jim Putnam is the son of the legendary Bill Putnam, an audio engineer known as the “father of modern recording” for his role in designing the first recording studio consoles.
