Object Permanance by Excavacations

Weird Forest Records
CD/Digital

What to make of Excavacations? Are they a pop band? Perhaps, except they spend as much time zoning out and embedding weird sounds into extended soundscapes as delivering infectious payloads loaded with hooks. Are they drone? If so, this is the catchiest drone you'll ever hear. Are they rock? Maybe -- they rock hard at times but not often. Are they bad spellers? Probably (don't miss that extra 'ca' in the name). But if we live in a post-post-everything world, then Excavacations is simply music for the 21st century.

Object Permanence is one of the catchiest releases in the Weird Forest catalog but this isn't empty-calorie Diet Mountain Dew for the ears. The hooks will stand out initially but repeated listens reveal nuances embedded in the music and the care that went into creating these compositions. The boys aren't afraid of big hooks and choruses but they warp traditional song structures and abandon verse-chorus-verse. Indeed, Excavacations don't write songs as much as they craft delicate sonic vignettes, song miniatures that ebb and flow, often interweaving and bleeding into each other. Maximalists by nature, nearly every track incorporates overdubbed layers and unusual sonic elements into its core but somehow it all just works -- the songs never sound overcrowded or weird for the sake of it.

Object Permanence comprises of songs culled from a string of underground cassette releases on the venerable Stunned, Avant Archive and Paramita labels plus 4 new exclusive tracks but the album sounds like a cohesive statement. Partially re-recorded, mixed and mastered specifically for this release, these songs have never sounded better.

Cover Art by Phil French (Stunned Records)

Boomkat Recommends:
“Zoned-out and dreamlike drone-pop. More surreal and strange than sweet, veering between majestic peaks and lo-fi wipe-outs with a psychedelic fluidity. A hell of a lot going on here - too much for a quick listen! Fans of owt from Rangers to Atlas Sound to No Neck Blues Band or Atelecine should check it out.”
“Weird Forest’s as-yet-categorised -Rockers Excavacations warrant your attention.”

Tiny Mix Tapes:
"One would be forgiven if, after reading that the bio of Excavacations describes them as “the catchiest drone you’ll ever hear,” one uttered a faint tut of skepticism. But after hearing the final swelling waves that close “Sine 1” on Object Permanence, one would not be forgiven. This is because the suggestion that Excavacations are simultaneously a “pop” and “drone” act somehow fits exceptionally. Much like some of the earlier No Age wanderings, random specks of noise are flecked over husky guitar feedback.”