The continuing solo adventures of Elkhorn’s Drew Gardner find the NY-based artist following the groove and exploring within it thoroughly with an expert crew of free improv players skilled in the ways of aural psychedelics.
Freshly unleashed by Eiderdown Records, Rabbit Ears rips through juggernaut acid rockers (such as the thunderous title cut that opens the record with a major BANG), slithering dual guitar chases (“Holmdel Horn Antenna” and “Garden Eels”) and drifting meditative soundscapes (“Conch Shell”). With Tom Malach on second guitar and Andy Cush on bass (both from Garcia Peoples) and Ryan Jewell on drums (from…well, nearly everything we cover here on RCU), Gardner plays with a patient looseness born of utter trust in his collaborators while navigating the cosmic waves of prismatic sounds that surge throughout each track. This familiarity and freedom allows for the band’s synergy to bloom into confident, fully kaleidoscopic jams. Each piece glows with a palpable excitement with each musician bringing their absolute best to the table, creating a tight and cohesive supergroup sound (minus the ego!) that would be more fitting for a band ten times their age.
With red-hot wah-wah fuzz, bombastic rhythms and an overall mellow yet doomy atmosphere, this is an instant psych-rock classic that even Hendrix himself would have dug. Be sure to grab your copy from Eiderdown on vinyl or digital today.
-KH
