Heavy Duty
By Josiah Hughes/Exclaim Magazine (Canada)
Portland's Mattress centres on the claustrophobic bedroom soul of weirdo Rex Marshall and his synthesiser. But on Heavy Duty, his debut full-length for Edmonton's Reluctant Recordings, his minimal, dark electro beats take a backseat to his sinister songwriting. Opener "Pollution" sets the tone with its eerie sounds and hopeless lyrics, while "Go Ahead and Litter" almost gets dance-y, with its dead funk guitar drone. The real gem is closing track "Bring It Down," with its heavy synths and melodic singing, showing a little heart amidst the creepiness. Limited to 300 and featuring shiny artwork courtesy of the Doers' Sean Maxey, this is a rare treat in outsider pop. (Reluctant)
thanks for the add, dudes! i just ordered your latest album over this thing they call the internet. i'll be excited to check my mailbox now (usually there's just bills in there)!
We can't wait to hear the new album on cd and lp at the same time while eating pizza and drinking beer in a car or truck going 80 miles an hour on the way to your show.
awesome show last night here in calgary. i have some great video but i can only facebook it right now. if you're a facebooker you can probably search for it.
