THE HOA HOA’S
Pop/Drone/Pedals CD
Optical Sounds 2009
The press release that came with this CD informs me the band name is pronounced “wah wahs”, (dumb) that we can “expect more from a band that has their sights on becoming one of the best psychedelic-pop outfits” (dumber) and that Sky Saxon once joined them onstage at SXSW for a rendition of their song “Grew Up on the Seeds”. You know what? I couldn’t fucking care less. Sure, it’s kind of “trippy” but I wouldn’t even call it psychedelic. It sounds like mooney dance music with lots of layered electronic effects and mellow unexciting mostly male vocals. The female vocals on “Waves”, which were supposed to be “stunning”, were the worst Nico rip-offs imaginable. Almost every song starts with a simple two-note riff that slowly builds in volume and produces no tension, and even without this lameness the songs all sound the same. To quote Steve F., this sounds like “super-boring, shitty ‘90s psych-rock… for people who are into shitty drone”. Don’t send us your crap. Read the magazine first. (Morgan Donor)
