Staff Reviews

White Hills - Frying on this Rock

Review by J.R. Moores

Open your mind and take it in? Regrettably, there’s little substance to take in here. It’s like booking a trip on Richard Branson’s moon rocket and ending up with a tour of an abandoned Zavvi.»

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cd version comes in a 4 panel mini-lp style gatefold package. white hills newest and most energized recording to date is bursting with raw energy packed into their most concise songs to date. fear not long time white hills fans, there is still loads of killer guitar work and fuzzed out psychedelia on 'frying on this rock'. their highly sought after and deluxe vinyl editions as well as the super limited cdr and 7" releases have made them a band who get talked about as much in reviews as they do on social networks. their boundless live performances, especially the higher profile ones at atp new york, supersonic and several roadburn festivals, or their dates with the flaming lips and sleep have established white hills as one of the most talked about space rock bands currently performing. their 2011 'h-p1' album topped several uk end of the year lists including our own. 'frying on this rock' opens with an under five minute scorcher and closes with a 15 minute track that reminds us why space rock gatekeepers like julian cope were very early supporters. white hills is guitarist dave w and bassist ego sensation. they are joined on this recording by frequent sonic collaborator antronhy (drummer for julian cope) on treatments, synths, and backup vocals, and touring / recording drummer nick name. 'frying on this rock' was recorded in the fall of 2011, when white hills dug in at bc studios in brooklyn with the help of recording engineer martin bisi (brian eno, sonic youth, swans, herbie hancock, boredoms). unlike many previous recordings that focused on spontaneity, the band brought new songs to the studio that had been honed on recent european and american tours. bisi brought his technical expertise to achieve the band's desire for a more separated sonic recording. the end result, 'frying on this rock', is an invigorating deep space rock album. an album that is at once able to channel the energy born of a collective anger into a swirling psychedelic, brutalising musical statement that mainlines the thrill of defiance straight to the listener's heart.
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