Wild Orchid Children - ...Are Alexander Supertramp
Record Label: Equal Vision Records
Release Date: Nov. 9, 2010
After winning the World Series this year, bearded mad man and Billy Mays' doppelganger Brian Wilson wanted to do one thing: "RAGE!" Who wouldn't have? His team beat the Rangers 4-1. Though it seemed like Wilson mentally cashed in his tickets to the greatest cliche on Earth to otherwise hit the streets like a maniac, I'm sure it was a positive one in the end.
The exonerating and almost exorcising feeling of "rage" sums up every inch of Wild Orchid Children's debut album. ...Are Alexander Supertramp. It hits your senses from all angles and only lets up for extended amounts of time, only to come back in the most abrasive waves. After the album's intro, we're greeted with the eighteen and a half minute "Black Shiny FBI Shoes," a track straight out of the psych-jams of Wish You Were Here or 13th Floor Elevators. Rhythmically tight and one of the best jams you'll hear all year, Kirk Huffman sounds like a young Zach De La Rocha through the shining reverb of his snarling vocals. As the song takes a tribal journey most of the way through, it explodes in aggression for its final minute.
"Peyote Coyote" is a superb jam that digs downbeats and trenches. "Martha Washington Goes to War" is a standout track with gang vocals, quick licks and a memorable ending reminiscent of another great album this year - Brothers. Then the album slows its tempo in the second half of "Birth of a Cabin" into "Where the Mexican Boys Go." A complete acid trip of a flashback to 'Nam. Sometimes it slips the mind that Wild Orchid Children are made up of members of Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, Forgive Durden and Gatsby's American Dream, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense that this is a new moniker for their talents.
Much of Wild Orchid Children's debut is one long jam. But unlike a Phish or String Cheese Incident album, there's just a bit more formidable structure to the tracks. After a few listens, some of the songs begin to run together. That said, I've found plenty of parts in the mix to bring me back to certain favorites. When Huffman comes back in the last minute of "Black Shiny FBI Shoes" and demands, "Where the fuck are you? Where are you?" over and over again, it's the exact question I'll be asking those who haven't given this album a spin.
Vocals fit perfectly for this band...its different, people need to open their minds. awesome review, incredible album...my AOTY so far, this album hits your soul in places you never knew existed before.
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