props to Safe Harbor for the sweet-leaf
The heat was oppressive, the sun domineering and the beads of sweat that descended from my scalp had the taste of hopelessness and hardship. The summer of 2011 was imbued by sun-baked memories of MV + EE Country Stash; Matt's solo lp on Woodsist, the High Llamas and Mind over Mirrors. The deck on the back of the house symbolized a reprieve from my day job of driving a drunk - days which were more or less full of loathing. A lot of sticks were burned and copious beer was consumed. It was on that deck, ripped and ready, that I was afforded peace. Some of the best moments occurred in the glow of MV + EE's spectrasound. When you need a friend, look no farther than MV + EE.
For me, nobody is currently rocking out like MV + EE. They emit some of the best vibes around. Country Stash, released by Three Lobed Recordings and Blatant Obviousness, is full of fidelity: Travelling along the golden road are Jeremy Earl, Woodsists; Mick Flower; Coot Moon; Doc Dunn; Mike Smith; Rongoose; Paulie G; Rafi Bookstaber, Death Chants and Humito; and Andy Ramsay, Stereolab and High Llamas. "Foxy One" features the beautiful three-way harmonies of MV, EE and Jeremy along with the tambourine of Coot Moon and Mick's bass. The track ends in a haze of reverb, providing the transition into "Crash Palace of Records". Crash Palace features the aforementioned harmonies and includes Doc Dunn on percussion and Mike Smith on bass. "Tea Devil", a road favorite, starts out the flip-side and is followed by the closer, "No There, There". Special praise is reserved for the title track, "Country Stash", which closes out the first side in stellar fashion. Though I usually do not mention specific songs, if i were to select a track of the year, then "Country Stash" would win. From the second "Crash Palace of Records" ends, the guitars, mandolin, flute, bass and drums of "Country Stash" make it feel like everything will be alright. I cannot get past that feeling of friendship, which is omnipresent on MV+EE recordings.
Three Lobed, one of the best in the biz, still has copies available. Supposedly, the next MV+EE record will be released on Three Lobed this summer. If that is true, then the ship will need to be fueled and provisions acquired in sufficient quantity. Nothing will make me forget those hot summer days on the deck, surrounded by half-consumed sticks, empty bottles and best of all, the companionship of MV + EE.
special thanks to Experimedia for sharing this great preview of all the tracks.
