Although western Massachusetts duo
MV & EE (
Matt Valentine and
Erika Elder to their folks) are nominally lumped in with the so-called "weird folk" scene, there is nothing of the self-conscious
Donovanisms of
Devendra Banhart about their second album. Gettin' Gone sounds much more like a fantasy collaboration between
On the Beach-era
Neil Young and
Dinosaur Jr. circa
Where You Been. (They come about the latter comparison honestly:
J Mascis is one of the album's three drummers.) The twangy country and acoustic folk elements of these 13 songs are neatly counterbalanced by a lot of full-throated electric feedback squalls. Indeed, on some songs, such as the raucous opener, "Susquehanna (Sole Art Trample)," the psychedelicized heaviness of the guitars overwhelms everything else in its path. Elsewhere, as on "Home Comfort" and the aptly titled "Country Fried," lap steel and mandolin provide a cozily druggy wash of sound that allows
Valentine to fully indulge himself in a naked imitation of
Young's trademark strangulated yowl of a voice; more uptempo songs force him to abandon the homage. Gettin' Gone is the sort of album that is so unashamed about its influences and so enthusiastic about its re-creations of same that complaints about lack of originality miss the point entirely: this is an album by
Neil Young,
Dinosaur Jr., and
Sonic Youth fans (note its release on Northampton, MA, homeboy
Thurston Moore's side label) for
Neil Young,
Dinosaur Jr., and
Sonic Youth fans, and what's wrong with that? ~ Stewart Mason