Chimpomatic

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band

Dead Oceans

As you may or may not summise from their name, Seattle quintet TMSHVB (for, errr, short) are a mischievous bunch. Naming rights were given to then 13 year-old Marshall Verdoes, as a reward for improving his drumming sufficiently to form a band with his brother/adoptive father (depending on which blurb you read) Benjamin. With obscure name in place, TMSHVB set about creating a buzz for themselves - issuing a number of Public Service Announcements before making a sound available to the wider public.

When those sounds were set free, first in the form of self-recorded and released EP Weepy and now in their debut self-titled full length LP, the mischief remained very much front and centre. Co-produced by Scott Colburn (with Arcade Fire and Animal Collective to his name) TMSHVB walk a tidy line between slick and slapdash, playful and professional. I would guess that Marshall is no longer 13 years of age, as he spares no snare, keeping hard time with the wayward structure of most of the 11 songs that make up the album he titled. Like a more mature Spinto Band (a category which technically every single band in the world falls into) TMSHVB’s tunes are driven by fun and good times - a refusal to be limited by anything as square as traditional structure.

“Who‘s asking?” opens things up nice - with a choral ‘Oooh Oooh‘ heralding in a tune evidently about a disagreement between Ben Verdoes and an old flame. All nice and jaunty then a pair of lead guitars appear from nowhere, perform a quick Brian May-esque dual, then disappear off into the night, allowing the tune to return on its original way and pace. “Masquerade” has those May guitars starting proceedings, building a tasty riff, which this time is broken down into a Waltz after a minute. That’s not to say this is Vampire Weekend type boundary busting novelty fayre, Mt St Helens are indie and no mistake. And they do it well. With obvious talent, they keep the energy high and the mood light, sample lyric from “On a hunt“ “I’m going to spear the mighty Giant Squid, I’ll Steal it’s ink, to write you letters of my adventures.” In amongst all this hyperactivity, slower tracks such as “A Year or Too” or 7 minute string-tinged closer “On the Collar” hold their own - rounding out the album nicely.

Forget the hype. Let the music speak on their behalf.

Links

Myspace

Tags

#chimpovich
#Music

23rd Feb 2009 - Tumblr

Ad Astra

Incredibly stylish and wannabe cerebral sci-fi, that’s ultimately a little thin.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

19th Jul 2020

First Man

Underwhelming space drama that’s a bit too intimate and not very epic.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

5th Jul 2020

Blue Story

Dire, tension-free postcode gang drama. Just add drama.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

21st Jun 2020

Apollo 11

Magnificent documentary, re-assembling the moon landing from beautifully remastered footage.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

14th Jun 2020

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

The 8th slow-paced Tarantino pic. Literally half entertaining / boring.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

24th May 2020

Yesterday

Entertaining Brit-com, though it’s a bit on-the-beaten-path for Danny Boyle.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

13th Apr 2020

Juliet, Naked

Mildly enjoyable, thoroughly forgettable Nick Hornby pic ...once you get past the contrived set up.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

4th Apr 2020

Shazam

Kid-friendly(ish), super fun superhero movie.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

23rd Mar 2020

The Lion King

Impeccably realised remake, but it’s emotionally flat.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

15th Mar 2020

Galveston

Standard festival thriller, with some style and decent moments - but it’s all a bit thin.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

10th Mar 2020

Alladin

Surprisingly enjoyable, Guy Ritchie-fied Disney remake.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

10th Mar 2020

Mapplethorpe

Cookie cutter biography that could literally have been written from his Wikipedia page.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

7th Mar 2020

Horse Girl

Text book indie, literally days out of Sundance. Interesting until it gets a bit too wacky.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

9th Feb 2020

Mid90s

Strong slice of 90s skate nostalgia. Slow and subtle.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

8th Feb 2020

Phantom Thread

Considered character study that strays into pretentiousness here and there.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

25th Jan 2020

Rocketman

Enthusiasticly directed sequence of unrelated musical set pieces.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

31st Dec 2019

Avengers

Endgame

Yet another biggest-battle-yet, with more than a passing nod to BTTF2.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

30th Dec 2019

Mystify

Michael Hutchence

Thoughtfully assembled montage doc.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

30th Dec 2019

Captain Marvel

Decent origin story, with charm and some 90s nostalgia.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

27th Dec 2019

Star Wars

The Rise of Skywalker

Freestyle bouillabaisse with all the ingredients, but no chef.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

27th Dec 2019

Marriage Story

Quintessential indie movie ...funded by Netflix. Great perfs, lovely camera work and solid direction.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

22nd Dec 2019

Widows

Superior modern thriller. Smart script and accomplished direction.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

15th Dec 2019

The Irishman

Long, slow, thoroughly enjoyable loose jam through Scorsese/DeNiro/Pacino/Pesci/Keitel’s greatest hits.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

2nd Dec 2019

Joker

Batman via Scorsese, in impeccably art directed, neatly packaged origin story.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

28th Nov 2019

Frozen 2

Surprisingly strong sequel that gets going after a convoluted start.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

24th Nov 2019

The Mule

Casual drama from Clint Eastwood, with the man himself anchoring things through a charming turn.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

16th Nov 2019

The King

Luscious period drama. Beautifully put together - like Wolf Hall+.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

3rd Nov 2019

El Camino

Throw away Breaking Bad expansion piece with little tension or jeopardy.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

13th Oct 2019

Vice

Stylish but incoherent Cheney biopic, hampered by another one-note turn from Bale.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

5th Oct 2019

Bohemian Rhapsody

Mind numbingingly basic biopic, saved by the nostalgia for the music and moments.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

5th Oct 2019

Minding the Gap

Interesting doc following the lives of 3 teens becoming adults, tied together by skateboarding.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

28th Sep 2019

Manchester by the Sea

Painful, occasionally uplifting viewing with a grief stricken central performance.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

28th Sep 2019

Spider-Man

Into the Spider-Verse

Stylish, trippy concept animated superhero flick with some great moments.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

21st Sep 2019

Dora & the Lost City of Gold

Young adult upgrade, with just enough Conchords humour to keep it enjoyable.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

22nd Aug 2019

Breath

Decent Aussie surf drama, that nostalgically investigates the soul of surfing before losing its way a little.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

14th Aug 2019

A Star is Born

Somewhat unremarkable, but enjoyable music drama. Bit long.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

13th Jul 2019

Two For Joy

Predictably grim seaside coming-of-age indie. Decent enough, but you’ve seen it before

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

13th Jul 2019

Mary Poppins Returns

Stylish sequel, hampered in places by some authentic 1960s pacing.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

30th Jun 2019

Coraline

Out-there kids fable with an old school Tim Burton vibe.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

16th Jun 2019

Blackkklansman

Rock solid 90s style indie movie. Beautifully assembled at all levels.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

31st May 2019

Can’t Stand Losing You

Fairly one-sided Police doc about the seemingly dislikeable trio.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

7th May 2019

Tallulah

Decent, but slightly muddled parenting indie.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

28th Apr 2019

Dumbo

Forgettable re-imagining of a not totally unforgettable Disney classic.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

27th Apr 2019

Missing Link

Solid stop-motion animation that’s light on plot, but high on charm.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

12th Apr 2019

Sicario 2

Soldaro

Surprisingly stylish sequel that drops the ball in classic straight-to-VHS style halfway through.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

6th Apr 2019

Hold the Dark

Opaque Alaskan thriller from Jeremy Saulnier, with little regard for convention.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

1st Apr 2019

Leave No Trace

Low key indie spin on Rambo, as a father and daughter try and live off grid.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

28th Mar 2019

The Dirt

Fun biopic that runs out of steam about when the band did.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

25th Mar 2019

Deadpool 2

A diminished remake of Deadpool 1. Occasional LOLs.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

25th Mar 2019

Bird Box

High concept sci-fi that stretches its concept a little thin.

#JustWatched
#Film
#CSF

19th Mar 2019