Video: Xu Xu Fang, ‘Noir State Beach’
Kevin Bronson on
1
Dating back to their early live shows legendary for their volume and low visibility (they love their smoke machines), L.A. shoegazers Xu Xu Fang were always candidates for Band Most Likely to Affect Your Mental Health. The brainchild of songwriter and ex-Warlocks drummer Bobby Tamkin, the band fashioned two EPs of dark, brooding trance-rock in 2008 and, notably, have since contributed to a couple of compilation albums, including Manimal Vinyl’s “We Were So Turned On: A Tribute to David Bowie” in 2010 with an ear-bending cover of “China Girl.” Tamkin, along with singer Sinosa Micik, guitarist Devin Johnson, keyboardist Lisa Fendelander, bassist Kyle Hines and recently added synth player Derek Muro, are now returning with a new batch of recordings featuring contributions from Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age, Mini Mansions) and a mix from Alain Johannes. The pulse-pounding first single, “Noir State Beach,” gets a video treatment from director Casey Storm – and, as you might if you spend enough time with the song, actor Luke Grimes (“True Blood”) is looking over his shoulder the whole way. After five-plus years, it’s great to have Xu Xu Fang back.
||| Download: “Noir State Beach”
[…] the longest-incubating debut in recent memory. After all, its release seemed imminent in 2014, when the band released the brooding jam “Noir State Beach.” Besides their two EPs, Xu Xu Fang has gained some notoriety with a host of television synchs and […]