The Wallscenery Demos

Thank goodness that in this fast food generated world of mp3's, there are some artists that still put out albums. I'm talking about continuous play, listen as a whole piece of work, tracks intelligently sequenced, albums. The Wallscenery Demos self titled release may only be 26.9 minutes long, but this is one beautifully constructed album.

The Wallscenery Demos consists mainly of James Hicken, and it is a mildly lo-fi guitar based release consisting of 17 tracks that all work together to create an ethereal soundscape of beauty and cacophony. Those two descriptive words rarely go together, but this is one case where this sometimes discordant mixture of sounds creates a listening experience that is unique and pleasant. The most obvious reference point to me is Guided By Voices, although there seems to have been a lot of work put into producing this album. It is composed mainly of soundtracks but there are songs to be found here also, and they are very good. The first track for example (Wallscenery Holler) has a bit of a folksy vibe, while Yesterday's Owl and Something Else (parts 1 and 2) are songs that get close to being poppy but obviously with an artsy edge. The spaces are filled in with softer instrumental numbers, and crunchy heavier numbers, whilst incorporating bits of typewriter sounds and snippets of Bill Cosby's stand up act.

This CD is entirely self released and can be purchased by e-mailing jameshicken [at] hotmail [dot] com.

Download: Wallscenery Holler mp3

Myspace: The Wallscenery Demos