I assume your “Psychedelic improv dream rock duo” Google Alert just went off (mine did), because psychedelic improv dream rock duo ANMLPLNET has just arrived. They’re a love child spawned from the fertile crescent of Boston’s sooty underground noise-art scene; and their procreation, as it were, is a none-too-conforming one: “We don’t mess with missionary,” says front-woman Leah Wellbaum.
Indeed, it’s no secret that the band (which is Slothrust’s Wellbaum plus singer/drummer Mickey Vershbow) employs more than a few outré mannerisms, at least in regard to their artistic proceedings. For example, they were apparently formed on the very basis of these following four “rules”:
1. Always drink absinthe while rehearsing.
2. Write lyrics that are antonymic translations (meaning nouns, adjectives and verbs are replaced with their antonyms).
3. Play songs straight through as one giant piece, no breaks.
4. Accept mostly unusual gigs (such as a previous performance in a shack on New Hampshire’s Star Island).
Dang, absinthe? I’m no Johnny Depp, but I imagine if there’s one trustworthy device that can act as a buffer to the inevitable vulnerabilities of improv dream-rock recording, it’s probably that.
None the less, ANMLPLNET has generously offered us a sneak-peek into the record’s stylistic mindset via the oddly-titled single “I Was Fucked by a Cloud,” which — speaking of “clouds” — you can find in stream-able format down below. Here’s what drummer Vershbow had to say about the tune:
“This was the first song Leah and I wrote together, if you can call it writing — we really just sent ideas back and forth over email, and then they seemed to settle into their own shape each time we actually played together. In that way the song encapsulates the band itself: a whirling about, indulging in the pleasure of improvised music while also treasuring the art of song form.”
The full album — titled Fall Asleep — is set to drop in its entirety on April 20 via Ba Da Bing Records. You can pre-order it now, but you’ll wanna act quickly if you plan on securing one of the first 500 copies, which will be pressed on a (spectacularly gaudy) gold marble vinyl. Hopefully there’s a little spare cash in your Absinthe budget?
Fall Asleep tracklisting:
01. I Was Fucked By A Cloud
02. 20,000 Leagues Underneath The Serpent
03. Ride
04. Elephants Aren’t So Big
05. All The Butterflies
06. What I Saw In The Field That Day
