DETAILS
TRACKS
Side A
- Red Face
- Car Crash
- Solar
- Eclipse
- A Little Help
Side B
- Heaven
- Flat White
- Sugarbush
- AM/FM
- A Fine Line
RELEASE DATE
11/11/2008
In Greek mythology, Midas was the king of the Phrygian city Pessinus. Because of his generosity to a drunken satyr, he was given the power to turn all he touched into gold, which proved to be--at best--a mixed blessing. The story was later adapted by Midnight Star in the 1986 hit "Midas Touch," which made it to #7 on the R&B Singles chart and #42 on the US Top 100. (It was the last Midnight Star single to make the top 100, though their next single "Don't Rock the Boat" climbed to the #3 R&B spot in 1988.)
Carrying on it the glorious tradition of Midnight Star and drunken satyrs, Wow & Flutter have seen fit to evoke the story of Midas in the title to their latest album Golden Touch, a collection of Phrygian mode jams, drones and ditties. Wow & Flutter have avoided "difficult-sixth-album-syndrome" by splintering and regrouping repeatedly since the last LP back in 2003. After coalescing as a three-piece hot-shit rock combo, with founder/treasurer Cord Amato on vocals/guitars/organ and stalwart multi-threat Jack Houston taking over drum duties, the lineup found its current form with the addition of bass player Ryan Matheson (following recent tour of duty recording and touring with Kind of Like Spitting), replacing Amy Turner, who left the band following the Fluts' last release, 2006's "Elements" single.
Opening track "Red Face" is a taut-n-fuzzy rock blast which highlights the three-piece's loud-fast-simple side. "Car Crash" opts for a more restrained approach--until all hell breaks loose with the de(con)struction of the titular event. "Solar" follows, with a simple chord pattern repeating for three minutes under a coat of beautiful shimmer. This leads into "Eclipse," because where else are you going to put a track called "Eclipse" if there's also a track called "Solar" on your album? "A Little Help" expands the sonic palette with banjo and glockenspiel and a mass choir.
"Heaven" opens side B; a Morricone-influenced intro complete with trumpet and melodica gives way to a religious screed, which gives way to a drunken klezmer coda. "Flat White" intertwines sparse riffs over click-clack percussion along with Amato's ruminations on betrayal. Synthetic slow-jam "Sugarbush" seduces with snake charmer guitar lines and earworm bass groove. Texture sampler "AM/FM" and drone epic "A Fine Line" close out the album. (As an added incentive to those who prefer their music in 12" format, the band is excited to pioneer the title-track-only-available-as-mp3-download-with-purchase-of-vinyl concept.)
Golden Touch was recorded intermittently over several months by John Askew (Tracker) at Type Foundry in industrial North Portland. Guest musicians include Victor Nash (Point Juncture, WA) on trumpet, Hiram Lucke (Harvey Girls) on sax and Melissa Rodenbeek (Harvey Girls) on backing vocals. Askew mixed it, then Matheson edited out the superfluous bits, then the band almost decided to call the album "Dong," but was talked out of it.
EXPLORE

Gabadon
On Gabadon

Boxhead Ensemble
Ancient Music

Blue Cranes
My Only Secret

Califone
Califone CD Reissues

Johanna Samuels
Bystander

Califone
villagers

Jenny Conlee
Tides: Pieces For Accordion And Piano

The Hackles
What a beautiful thing I have made

The Hackles
Song For The Fool

Martha Scanlan & Jon Neufeld
Last Stars First Light

No. 2
First Love

José Medeles
Railroad Cadences & Melancholic Anthems

Federale
Our Side Of Their Story

The Delines
The Sea Drift

Motrik
MØØN: The Cosmic Electrics of MØTRIK

Dave Depper
Europa

Motrik
Artificial Head

Eyelids
The Accidental Falls

Califone
Echo Mine

The Hackles
A Dobritch Did As A Dobritch Should

Federale
No Justice

Eamon Fogarty
Blue Values

Team Dresch
Captain My Captain

Team Dresch
Personal Best

Martha Scanlan
The West Was Burning

Martha Scanlan
Tongue River Stories: Autumn

The Hackles
The Twilight's Calling It Quits

1939 Ensemble
New Cinema

Eyelids
Maybe More

Corrina Repp
How A Fantasy Will Kill Us All

Tim Rutili & Craig Ross
10 Seconds To Collapse

Motrik
Safety Copy

Eyelids
or

Sin Ropas
Mirror Bride

Annalisa Tornfelt
Search Zero

Luke Ydstie
Collected Essential Works

Jenny Conlee with Steve Drizos
French Kayaking Music

Kind of Like Spitting
You Secretly Want Me Dead

The Valiant Arms
Swallow The Sea: The Songs of The Crabs

Annalisa Tornfelt
The Number 8

Hook & Anchor
Hook & Anchor

Eyelids
854

Motrik
Motrik

Perhapst
Revise Your Maps

Kaia
Two Adult Women In Love

Alialujah Choir
The Alialujah Choir
