Record Review: Times New Viking "Rip It Off"

I've got a very soft spot in my heart for Columbus, Ohio. Times New Viking is a band from Ohio, therefore I have a soft spot in my heart for Times New Viking. Their new record, "Rip It Off" is out on Matador Records. It got a "best new music" tag on Pitchfork, and they will be joining us out here in Southern California for the Coachella Festival come april, so I thought I'd chime in on the new record.

"Rip It Off" is 20 songs long, though I counted maybe one or two that extended beyond three minutes long. Most every song is between one and two minutes long. "Rip It Off" contains songs from their first two (self released) records, but I wouldn't have known that if I hadn't read it on Pitchfork. As a parenthetical observation on the state of Pitchfork's review, what kind of 'Best New Music' review quotes from the label's press release, but fails to mention what town the band is from? A Pitchfork Media Review!

The fuzzed out production is squarely within the midwestern indie tradition of your Guided By Voices, the shouted boy/girl choruses sounded, to me, like the Go Team. The whimsy and attitude reminded me of Pavement and Yo La Tengo. In other words, Times New Viking sits squarely within the indie tradition that we all know and love.

According to the picture that accompanies this article in the Columbus Dispatch, they're perfectly adorable. All in all, if you're an midwestern indie rock afficiado or a low fi pop fan, you ought give Times New Viking a spin. The fact that they're on Matador almost guarentees you one or two shots to catch them on tour at the Casbah in the next one to two years, not to mention the Coachella performance.

They'd make a good touring partner for Grand Ole Party- now that I think about it. It would be a good contrast in styles.

Anndd... here are theposts from the Cat Dirt Expeditionary Force to Southern Ohio/Northern Kentucky. And here is the buy page on Amazon.com.