Attic Ted

Reviews

Attic Ted Starfish as Man LP

And the prize for worst band name goes to…ATTIC TED. Look, I was primed to really dislike this album. It doesn’t look like something I’d want to listen to. The name of the album is Starfish as Man, for chrissake! To my reluctant surprise, it’s not a bad needle drop after all. ATTIC TED has made a pretty charming post-punk record in the vein of ALTERNATIVE, MAGAZINE, or SUBWAY SECT, with some kraut-y avant garde elements pushing the affair towards the experimental end of the spectrum. Starfish as Man is sprinkled with spacey synthesizers and atmospheric, at times operatic vocal melodies. I presume that these folks have taken plenty of drugs to make music to take drugs to…or however it was that SPACEMEN 3 phrased it. Despite my negative predisposition, ATTIC TED has concocted a substantial freak-pop album that I can’t deny has a disturbingly catchy appeal.

Attic Ted 13 Select Home Recordings cassette

Collection of songs from this Texas duo, recorded over a twenty(!!)-year span. I don’t know how to accurately describe this—the closest reference points would be circus or carnival music with post-punk vocals. Imagine the weirdness of the MYSTIC KNIGHTS OF THE OINGO BOINGO with the delayed and pitch-shifted vocals of vintage WEEN. Opening track “Hyperbole” is a good introduction to the organ-grinding surrealness. “Either Way” has a slight MADNESS ska beat with backing vocals, swirling noise, and bicycle bells. “Texas Trip” takes us into satirical cowpunk territory. What’s surprising is how well-composed and carefully constructed these tracks are. This is not low-effort experimentation; it is very odd and inspired creativity. True story: I fell asleep while listening to this (from my own circumstances, it’s not boring or anything), and I had strange-ass dreams. If you want to sample some unique and playful avant-garde music, click on over to their Bandcamp.