“alva”
Alva
Slattery for Ungdom
Menlo Park
Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to let those little Alva girls out of Arkham Asylum so soon. “But they were so cute, and they played their little instruments so well!” But, I am glad that they did, if not, we wouldn’t have this delightful little shard of an album.
Alva has recorded an album for John Zorn’s Avant label, so that explains some things. But it doesn’t explain the childlike evilness of this album. When they sing “…I want to kill everyone in sight.” they just sound so sweet about it. Most of the songs have a sort of classical bent, but more of a Boris Karloff feel than a big Disney Orchestra. “March to Underneath” has this somber pipe organ that fades into this short, noisy improvisation. And then there is “Racstacy,” which is a terrifying tape piece filled with eerie screeches and these bizarre voices.
11 songs, 16 minutes. Something here is just not right….
Menlo Park Recordings, P.O. Box 1652 Cooper Station, New York, NY 10276-1652; http://www.menloparkrecordings.com
