How do you follow up a debut release that featured
three theremins and a guitar? For The Lothars, the answer
was simple � add another theremin! On this, their sophomore
effort, The Lothars have supplemented their quadraphonic
theremin attack with guitar, violin and samples to create soundscapes
only hinted at on their debut CD "Meet The Lothars."
Of that 1998 release, Brett Milano wrote, "The Beatles reference in their album title may be a joke, but imagine an outfit whose style starts with the last 30 seconds of 'I Am the Walrus' and works outward from there." On this new CD, The Lothars continue to journey outward, assimilating the sounds of bands as diverse as Windy & Carl and Spaceheads along the way. This is best heard in the trio of improvisations they've collectively titled "The Metallic Sonatas." Created spontaneously during a marathon weekend recording session, they show The Lothars now in full control of their cantankerous instrumentation.
Though improvisational jams make up a good chunk of this CD, the band have also recorded some catchy tunes. From the 78 rpm warblings of "Gypsy Song" and the pop structuring of "Bleep-Bloop," to the sublime "The Marriage of Queen Lothera" and mesmerizing "Banjolin," The Lothars have once again created accessible mini-symphonies, with interweaving flights of oscillator inspiration wheeling around over a stringed foundation.
"The Lothars do an admirable service for the credibility of theremins in modern music"
---Keyboard
"The Lothars... produce as many weird and wonderful ideas that can be squeezed, whooped, whistled and screamed from these hip retro-electro antiques."
---Alternative Press>
"[The Lothars] create a vibe that's simultaneously spacy, silly, and spellbinding... The overall atmosphere is one of adventure, rather than mere novelty."
---Request
"The Lothars conspire to create a monstrous edifice of noise."
---The Wire
"...sort of like Shonen Knife doing Merzbow covers... [The] combination of naive electronics, self-conscious humor and gothic horror will no doubt incite a horde of imitators."
---New York Press
Of that 1998 release, Brett Milano wrote, "The Beatles reference in their album title may be a joke, but imagine an outfit whose style starts with the last 30 seconds of 'I Am the Walrus' and works outward from there." On this new CD, The Lothars continue to journey outward, assimilating the sounds of bands as diverse as Windy & Carl and Spaceheads along the way. This is best heard in the trio of improvisations they've collectively titled "The Metallic Sonatas." Created spontaneously during a marathon weekend recording session, they show The Lothars now in full control of their cantankerous instrumentation.
Though improvisational jams make up a good chunk of this CD, the band have also recorded some catchy tunes. From the 78 rpm warblings of "Gypsy Song" and the pop structuring of "Bleep-Bloop," to the sublime "The Marriage of Queen Lothera" and mesmerizing "Banjolin," The Lothars have once again created accessible mini-symphonies, with interweaving flights of oscillator inspiration wheeling around over a stringed foundation.
"The Lothars do an admirable service for the credibility of theremins in modern music"
---Keyboard
"The Lothars... produce as many weird and wonderful ideas that can be squeezed, whooped, whistled and screamed from these hip retro-electro antiques."
---Alternative Press>
"[The Lothars] create a vibe that's simultaneously spacy, silly, and spellbinding... The overall atmosphere is one of adventure, rather than mere novelty."
---Request
"The Lothars conspire to create a monstrous edifice of noise."
---The Wire
"...sort of like Shonen Knife doing Merzbow covers... [The] combination of naive electronics, self-conscious humor and gothic horror will no doubt incite a horde of imitators."
---New York Press