Since their emergence a few years ago, apparently with just a found organ, broken bass guitar, borrowed drum and some “old doom poetry’ in their arsenal, Sydney duo Lucy Phelan and Matthew Hopkins have managed to carve out a distinctive presence amongst that city’ experimental / underground scene as Naked On The Vague. In fact, it’s arguable that NOTV’ open-minded fusion of elements drawn equally from the No Wave / noise scenes as from classic psychedelia (and what the duo themselves describe as “apocalyptic pop’) has been one of the prime reasons why they’ve previously been selected as local tour support for such diverse acts as Kevin Blechdom, The Gossip and Love Of Diagrams. Whatever your personal take, NOTV are certainly not easy to pigeonhole into any immediate genre / scene, and this debut album The Blood Pressure Sessions, which follows on the heels of their recent Sad Sun CDR EP release on Sabbatical, continues to make any easy attempts at categorisation elusive.
If opening track “Old Leader’ shows the duo’ more doomy psychedelic leanings rising to the forefront, with spooky, heavily-reverbed vocals looming out in the mix amidst harsh bursts of snare percussion, droning organ tones and the sorts of sickeningly churning synth swells Throbbing Gristle deployed to maximal effect on “Hamburger Lady’, it’s hardly indicative of what’s on offer here. “All Aboard’ manages to kick things straight out of the preceding track’ drowsy fugue, unleashing perhaps this album’ most immediately accessible “hooky’ offering, with Phelan’ powerful vocals taking things towards post-punk / goth, while Hopkin’ bass provides Killing Joke-esque propulsive rhythm amidst a tight backbone of martial, punching beats, before “Mothers Footsteps’ manages to up the ante with its scream-laden flameout of fuzzed-up guitar noise and Suicide-esque drum machine rhythms.
If the aforementioned two tracks represent the more “punk assault’-oriented side of NOTV’ approach, “The Horse, He’ Sick’ shows them sliding out into deep psychedelica as monotonous drum rhythms, bass and buzzing analogue electronics send Phelan’ drowsy vocals soaring out into a disorienting wash of delayed-out loops, while “Brown Sun / Sydney Lane Road’ offers up what’s perhaps this collection’ most gentle moment, with gently chiming guitar chords, rippling percussive textures and distant organs tones providing a warm textural backdrop for Phelan’ wordless vocal harmonies – indeed, it’s the closest thing to an “uncharacteristically sunny moment’s as NOTV get here. The Blood Pressure Sessions is certainly an impressive debut album offering from NOTV that shows the duo using the broader canvas afforded them to expand considerably upon the possibilities hinted at on their preceding EP and 7″ releases, and one that’s likely to further their cred with both indie fans and “experimental’ / noise heads alike.
Chris Downton
