Sold Date:
April 18, 2019
Start Date:
March 19, 2019
Final Price:
£22.95
(GBP)
Seller Feedback:
35764
Buyer Feedback:
399
EX HEX
LP
It’s Real
PINK / BLUE
COLOURED SWIRL VINYL
LIMITED EDITION
+ Downloads
IN STOCK
When Ex Hex exploded onto the scene with their
unfettered brand of rock and riffage, the power trio
for our generation had finally arrived. Made up of
Mary Timony, Betsy Wright, and Laura Harris, the
group’s debut Rips was a gleaming collection of
tightly wound gems that scored Best New Music
honors from Pitchfork, the top spot on Magnet
Magazine’s Best of 2014 list, and No. 11 in that
year’s Pazz and Jop critics poll. Touring throughout
2015 and 2016 established the band as a force to be
reckoned with: an audacious three-piece distilling
rock music to its essence with formidable skills and
a reputation for frenzied and unabashedly fun live
shows. On It’s Real, the second album, Ex Hex’s
commitment to larger than- life riffs and
unforgettable hooks remains intact, but the garage-
y, postpunk approach that defined Rips has grown
in scale and ambition. What started as a reaction to
the blown-out aesthetic of Rips would test the sonic
limits of the power trio and lead the band on a quest
for a more immersive and three dimensional sound.
Vocal harmonies are layered ten tracks deep, solos
shimmer and modulate atop heaving power chords,
and the codas linger and stretch toward new
frontiers of sound.
Produced by Jonah Takagi, It’s Real was a more
collaborative effort than its predecessor. Mary and
Betsy could be found writing late into the night,
leaning on Takagi to tighten up arrangements. Egos
were surrendered in service to the music: Nothing
was sacred or precious, and there was a relentless
devotion to both songcraft and exploration. Dozens
of guitar amps sat mic-ed in the next room, and the
group experimented at a frenzied pace parsing
countless combinations of instruments, pedals, and
amps. They even dusted off Mary’s old Rockman, a
small headphone amp designed by Boston guitarist
Tom Scholz in 1982. The opening track Tough
Enough is punky and defiant, with stacked backing
vocals posing the question “Are you tough enough
(to let it go)?” that’s resoundingly answered in the affirmative by
a searing, triumphant guitar solo. Cosmic Cave is a bittersweet
rave-up with shimmering phased guitars, a gooey candied
chorus, and beamed-in “whoa-oh-ohs” that add a
touch of melancholia to the frenzied speed-of-sound
pace. The ferocious and anthemic Rainbow Shiner is
what Wright describes as “a victory song.” Her
mordacious central riff is coupled with dueling
guitar-god solos that explode from the stereo
spectrum. The starlit Another Dimension has it all:
pounding drums, palm-muted humbucking chugs,
soaring harmonized vocals, and a stark, ethereal
bridge that sends listeners deep into the lush sonic
landscape that the band set out to create. Ex Hex
were already one of America’s best guitar bands—
but on It’s Real, their musical savvy has thrillingly
combined with anything-goes curiosity, studio
experimentation, and a dedication to refinement,
resulting in an album that’s ready to be played at
maximum volume.
TRACKS –
SIDE A
1. Tough Enough,
2. Rainbow Shiner,
3. Good Times,
4. Want It to Be True,
5. Diamond Drive.
SIDE B
1. No Reflection,
2. Another Dimension,
3. Cosmic Cave,
4. Radiate,
5. Talk to Me
Condition – MINT / UNPLAYED (SEALED)
Year – 2019
Catalogue number – MRG660LPC1
COUNTRY – UK
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