Fuzzy Guitar Rock - The Quiet Americans

So, this is kinda the exact opposite of my last post.  All the talk in my previous post about electronic music shouldn't be interpreted as a shift in my musical taste away from guitars.  Instead, it's more of an incorporation of electronica in with everything that was already there.  I still love guitars (generally the fuzzier, the better), and thankfully there's still new bands emerging that are willing to forego the many "advantages" that modern technology offers (i.e. computers, synths, bloops, bleeps, etc.) and release some good ol' fashioned rock n' roll music like you might have heard back in the day.

 These are definitely NOT the kind of fuzzy guitar I'm talking about.

For example, this morning I discovered a new band based out of the Fresno, CA area that call themselves The Quiet Americans.  The Quiet Americans have released one 6-song EP  (way back in April - where have I been?!?) entitled Medicine, which was recorded on an old-school reel-to-reel tape recorder (i.e. not a computer).  To make matters even more nostalgic, they released the EP as a cassette tape!  They only made 100 copies of the cassette, however, ensuring that the 17 people that still own tape players would be able to get themselves a copy.  HA!  I kid.....though I've read numerous places that cassette tapes are making a comeback (as is vinyl).  To be fair though....I haven't actually met anyone that's getting back into purchasing cassettes.  I'm guessing it's primarily hipsters like these folks.

Regardless, the music is pretty fun.  I've only been listening since this morning, but I've had the opportunity to listen all the way through twice now.  One of the cool effects of recording things in an analog fashion (rather than a digital one) is it produces a very live, raw sound to the music.  The Quiet Americans (full disclosure = they are decidedly NOT quiet) have utilized a combination of analog recording technology and fuzzy guitar distortion to create a vintage 70's psychedelia garage rock sound (not unlike that of the Australian group Tame Impala which released a pretty awesome record, Innerspeaker, a few years back).  In an era where seemingly everything is recorded digitally, its a refreshing change even if it's simply a change back to the way rock n' roll used to be.

 
The Quiet Americans are gracious enough to let you download the entire EP for free at their Bandcamp page which can be found here.  Or you could purchase one of the aforementioned cassette tapes for $5.....assuming they have any left.  If you'd like to preview a couple songs before you download, you can stream the songs at the same site.  I recommend starting with "Weird Mountain" as I did.  It features the heavy distorted guitar and lyrics I mentioned before but finishes with a screaming 2+ minute solo layered over top.  I think its the best track on a really solid EP.   

I also recommend turning up your speakers/headphones when you listen to it, because The Quiet Americans are definitely not intended to be listened to quietly.

RR