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Where to begin with Tex La Homa.... "Dazzle Me With Transience"
is probably my favorite disc of 2002. It covers almost the entire spectrum
of human emotions, ranging from upbeat pop, to melancholic movements.
Opening with something good, entitled "Something Good", you're
in familiar territory, blazed by the likes of Her Space Holiday. However,
this is no rip-off artist. Matt Shaw, aka Tex La Homa, takes his music
is entirely new and unique directions. Take the simplicity of "Here
With You", the title track of an EP released earlier this year.
The drums and bass instantly hook you, and the cool soothing vocals
breeze through, maintaining its airy feel. Things turn slightly more
introspective with "Never Gonna Go Away" and "Feel Tied
Down", and pick back up with the easygoing "Good Luck".
A strangely title "Robot Arms Devoid Of Feeling" is perhaps
the most downbeat of the collection, comprised of only acoustic guitar
and Matt's vocals. "If You Ask" must have been written around
2:00 am in some bar somewhere, on a napkin perhaps. It just has that
feeling, a feeling that carries over to the closer "Need To Find
A Way" - a bit of sobering redemption that brings the disc back
to the center. Masstransfer.
With his lo-fi aesthetic, whispery vocal and studious reductions of
favourite musical heroes, Matt "tex La Homa" Shaw epitomises
the classic bedroom-studio boffin. Equal parts indie rock and electronic
pop, Shaw's debut album is also a beautifully understated, fragile affair,
reeking of tuneful gloom. His influences are clear enough: If You Ask
is prime Luna; Cool Runnings and When I Am Lost are, respectively, New
Order and The Cure on a tight budget; and Here With You holds a mirror
to his recent touring partners Her Space Holiday. Original? No. Bewitching
and addictive? Definitely. The Times
'The
Summer of 2002 has it's first event, it's first emergence; This is Tex
La Homa, the solo project of Matt Shaw, who completely eliminates all
competitors in matters of lo-fi songwriting. A pop classic, and calm
with it, it hides some treasures found in the contemplation of the infinite.
Here acoustic instruments lie together happily with their electronic
neighbours, -sometimes reserved, sometimes more gregarious ("Cool
Runnings")-which gives the album a rare and untouchable air. "Dazzle
me with Transience" is not the work of a disciple of desolation,
but relates the thoughts and ideas of a young man who observes from
a distance the world through which he moves. The fragile voice and phrasing
wrap around the lyrics like garlands around a Christmas tree and give
the compositions of the album even more depth. A disc full of maturity,
at times it reflects a certain spontaneity in the manner of the songwriting
and a real reflection on life which give it a soul. Matt Shaw oozes
emotions from his pores, and this sensitivity is exacerbated within
the autobiographical lyrics. The small saturations of "Something
Good", the subtle dynamics of "Feel tied down" and of
"Launch", the sunny introductions..all are here to take the
listener hostage and compel them to become an actor in the entirety
of this record. Graced with simple guitar lines and uncomplicated arrangements
("When I am lost") and the manner in which Matt Shaw seems
to be whispering confidences in your ear ("Here with you"),
Tex la Homa are in pole position for the summer, with a soundtrack for
evenings, for warm and peaceful times.'
'enormous'
9/10 record of the week.
soitditenpassant.com
Let's cut through some of the chit chat and just
say from the outset that 'Dazzle me with transience' is one of the best
albums of the year so fat. Why? Because like all great albums it achieves
that extra something, that extra unknown quality / factor that sets
a truly inspired album aside from an ordinary workmanlike product. A
great album will absorb the listener all at once captivating, touching
and ultimately taking them to a quiet hideaway away from the rigours
of everyday life to escape. 'Dazzle me with transience' does this and
more with such accomplished grace and with blissful ease and projects
such a hideaway of blissful climates impeached by the occasional flutter
of pulsating sensitivity. Tex La Homa is the studio based project of
Matt Shaw who has already established his credentials with two well
received EP's as well as being featured as part of the Melodic label
compilation 'A roomful of tuneful'. Within 'Dazzle me with transience'
his first full length for this studio project, Matt hasn't arrived empty
handed, unloading a bag of tricks and some of the most arresting melodies
your ever likely to hear all year. Overflowing to the brim with mallowy
ambient threads casting stunning atmospherics on which are laid atop
gentle layers of soft beats superbly finished with sympathetically laced
wisping guitars and all metered and poised between desolate semi melancholic
mini epics and lilting eruptions of joyous repose. This truly is an
album to marvel at one of those rare moments where everything sounds
out of step and out of time / fashion, drawing reference points to Beck's
floating spatial textures on 'Here with you', Toshack Highway and elements
of the Infinity Chimp are all found swimming in the multi patterned
contours. Twelve tracks that admittedly take a while to work their grace,
but be patient, what appears initially as a tasty sparse decor soon
starts to add colours with repeated listens. Tracks such as 'Cool runnings'
operates with dreamy hypnotics taking for it's core melody 'Is this
the real life' developing catchy focused beats that continually evolve
to sound like Johnny Marr in his Electronic / Stex guise being reprogrammed
by a seriously lad back Wagon Christ. 'Never gonna go away' on the other
hand is highlighted by tiny dramatic pauses, like Moby with teeth and
possessing a shoe gazing shrill that recalls the ethereal epics of Heather
Duby. Ultimately it provides a heady mix of twinkling pop, played down
mood swings and spacey overtures. 'Feel tied down' just breaks hearts
while 'When I am lost' stands as the albums centrepiece, Morricone Western
soundtrack like melodies draw pistols with impatient beats towards the
climatic effervescent hollowness at the finale, superbly desolate and
resonant. 'Good luck' neatly nicks New Order's 'Run 2' to add it's own
spellbinding treatments while 'Launch' offers a seismic sonic maelstrom
of bleached out textures that are wrapped in heavenly eruptions reminiscent
of Flying Saucer Attack. One of the albums shortest tracks also happens
to be one of it's most transfixing. 'Robot arms devoid of feelings'
is simplistically executed, roving acoustics mournfully snake in sympathy
to the morose vocals, making it impossible not to be caught up in it's
abject darkness. The spectral glaze of 'Highfalutin' cleverly sets the
scene for the closing track 'Need to find a way' which provides a magnificent
laid back spacey ambience more typical of Spiritualized yet tempered
with doey eyed traces of classic Velvets. Is it too early to say contender
for album of the year? losing today
'Tex
La Homa songwriter/frontman Matt Shaw uses the same basic formula as
the bands I hear on FM radio, but with one notable "problem":
he is creative. Instead of following the pack and pasting a Reason loop
into the foreground of a song, he uses technology to enhance his work.
Skill vs. novelty/trends: are you listening to me, rap/rock cretins?
"Something Good"'s mix of acoustic guitar and country twang
caught me off guard. Just as I was about to skip ahead, I was hit with
a marvelous gated loop that wove in and out of the rhythm, ever driving.
"Cool Runnings" incorporates a bassline reminiscent of Joy
Division-era Peter Hook, adding early Autechre FM synthesis with a minimal,
progressive harmonic structure. It's quite a treat for headphone addicts
(myself included). Shaw's voice suggests a mixture of Daniel Ash and
Leonard Cohen -- a very smooth, almost whispered delivery that drifts
along like subtle smears of color. His lyrical content is so surreal
that even after five listens, I can't recall what he said. I think this
is quite charming, actually; after a year of listening to the Cocteau
Twins' Head Over Heels, I still had no idea what Liz was singing, and
my enjoyment wasn't hampered one bit. A handful of tracks near the disc's
end sound like padding -- they break the album's context, and lack the
twittering noises, heavy reverb and synth washes that imbued the other
tracks with so much personality. Other than this, Dazzle Me With Transience
feels complete; the ideas are fleshed out, developed, and reach closure
within each song.' splendidzine.com
'Matt Shaw operating under
the alter ego of Tex La Homa, follows Piano Magic, Grant Lee Philips
and Bob Mould as the latest to dip his toes into the waters of electronic
ambience. His experience supporting the likes of Bright Eyes has taught
him that wearing your heart on your sleeve can be a good thing, and
this debut long player see him exploring moods and textures, his voice
alternately hushed and devotional, then skittering like a drunken ice-skater
over the top of sparse alien melodies. 'Robot arms Devoid of Feeling'
and 'Feel tied down' recall the bruised emotion of a prettier Arap Strap,
while elsewhere there are shades of Mogwai in a good mood. Were this
graced with a pedal steel and mandolin the style police would have labelled
it Americana, as it is, we'll have to invent a pigeonhole for him, how
about Anglicana?' Logo Magazine
No, I've never head of them either and I don't have a clue what their
name means - but Tex La Homa are the studio project of one Matt Shaw
from the UK. It starts off well with a paen to the quiet songs on the
first Velvet Underground album (Femme Fatale/Sunday Morning/ hints of
Heroin) on 'something good'. That's good and I love the song, but from
then on the CD loses it's derivate quality and becomes unique. There's
a groove to the songs (very shy Stone Roses? ) in the rhythms and Matt's
almost-whisper creates a magical atmosphere. Sometimes the songs are
quiet, sometimes fuzzed low-fi guitar takes over (a bit of Jesus and
Mary Chain perhaps). These are very personal songs, 'feel tied down'
is one of those personal statements that are universal in sentiments
and 'launch' is simple, raw, and beautiful. 'highfalutin' is like someone
speaking quietly to a lover and if you don't relate this to something
in your life then you should get out more.
I have a very special part of my record collection: albums I play when
I'm on my own and in a quiet mood and want to leave the world outside
for a while. It includes Mike Johnson and Revolution 9 (I can't even
remember what made me buy them in the first place) and some Sebadoh.
You can take all the other music away from me but you have to leave
me those because they pluck some heartstrings that nothing else reaches.
Tex La Homa can join that special place. coolnoise.co.uk
these guys are wicked because as boring as they could be, with the lofi
melodies filled out with electronica, they really arent because its
all so lovely, whether its pulsing electronic breakbeats or just cure-ified
guitar miserabilisms its all done amazingly and with lots of accessibility.
matts voice is like warm honey as well. i wanna hear this band cover
unchained melody. itd be fucking amazing. krayon.co.uk
' Tex la Homa's "Feel tied down" was the highlight of the
Melodic label's "A Room Full Of Tuneful" v/a compilation.
That intimate, Palace-like track is being reprised here, and it's once
again one of the highlights. Apart from its highbrow title, the honest
intimacy of most tracks on "Dazzle" is quite pleasing, especially
late at night. There's the odd breakbeat or sniff of electronica here
and there, but otherwise, the sounds here are quite timeless and mostly
lo-fi. Palace, Sophia and the intimate side of Orange Black come to
mind, as well as gentle British indiepop a la Durutti Column, Felt or
acts on the Geographic label.' U-zine
"Tex La Homa's 'Feel Tied Down' stood out
amongst a few other heavy contenders on the excellent 'A Roomful of
Tuneful' compilation, a mouthwatering taster for what was to come with
this release, which is layer upon layer of moody and evocative shoegazin'
guitars draped elegantly over throbbing basslines and electronic beatscapes.
Matt Shaw's vocals float effortlessly in and out, adding the right touch
of intimacy to the already lush warm arrangements. Veering from more
indie leanings, beautiful Grandaddy~esque perfect pop ballads such as
'When i am lost' and 'Good Luck' to the more driving Arab Strap like
electronics of 'Cool Runnings' and glitchy pulse of 'Feel tied down'.
Treading a similar path as Lali Puna, Hood, and Hermann & Kleine,
Tex La Homa takes droney and melancholic indie rock as a starting point
from which is added snippets of minimal electronica, crisp production
techniques, and from it all is molded flawless melodious gems, perfectly
suited to summer walks in fields overlooking london, lost in abstract
daydream." soundnoisemusic
Play. shimmering Pop fragments snake across the room. Expecting mexicana
big beatery. this was a pleasant surprise. Superglider : the label,
hint at 'lo-fi' Why oh why lo-fi.? It's certainly not lo-fi in the sense
of detuned guitar and half baked ideas shouted into a bucket.. But certainly
not over produced blandness and throwaway sentiment...there is heart
and soul in these well crafted tunes. today, it seems, people hang on
to snappy one-liners, tag lines to hum and chuck. you're looking in
the wrong place neither acoustic.. electric.. nor electronic.. All three.
an album that defies categorisation in a test, conducted under laboratory
conditions..9/10 cats failed to put a date on this album. it's of now,
and then..a breadth of fresh air. it takes your time Comparisons...
{if you need them} Think of any, good, sonically enhanced guitar based
SONGS from the last 20 years. from prime Jason Pierce Spiritualized,
through MBV-isms, newer Hood and Pete Astor's Wisdom of Harry.then on
to David Kitt, in folk-rock-out mode rather than with the whimsy switch
on. and you're beginning to come close to the feel of this cd. Some
Well Drawn Boy, and Velvets 'waiting for my man' to boot. It's lonely
and forlorn, steeped in sad lament. it's not an album to win friends
with, more for moments of quiet reflection and introspection. but not
miserabilism. you could revel in the 'there's always someone worse off'-ness
of it all..You wouldn't want to live life as Tex La Homa, but thank
fuck the pop world has such as they to carry your burdens, be your catharsis.
keep the sad torch burning.. This album puts an arm around you and whispers
regret into yer ear. but you don't quite know if it's going to turn
nasty.. Occasionally the half-remembered familiarity of a refrain alerts
you to what's going down. it is an album of intricately constructed
music. you are not being held hostage You are left feeling slightly
woozy by the dynamics.. there is loads going on, but it's not hectic,
it takes the subtle route, a number of lunges, rather than a knockout
punch. so much subtlety. probably too much for one sitting. the album
demands and deserves undivided attention. it takes your time.. 'yer
me best mate you are'. It's unusual to have a cd so full of ideas, and
so little in terms of immediate hook. you won't be singing many choruses.
too often the subtext to an album described as 'a grower' actually reads.
dull. this isn't dull, it's a grower, it's hard to put down. I've listened
through five or so times. and still new angles keep striking me.those
skittering drum patterns ? are they trumpets ?? vocoder ??? don't know
???? is that for dancing ? a surprising and confounding album: dark,
complex and multi-layered. morose with a pop heart. a comedown for those
who have crash landed, and don't want to get back up just yet... as
many questions as answers. but not posers..... well worth the effort..
it sets up a whirl of possibilities, that gets you reaching back into
your collection. yes.. I remember that. as you'll remember this..In
This review I've deliberately tried to set up glimpses of moments. that
is just what the music conveys. if only these words were half as assured
and affecting as Tex La Homa's sounds... The music
rooms
'a band who has so far toured with bands like Miss Black America and
Anti-Hero, and if this isn't enough they're also compared with the greatest
alternive rockbands from today, even by NME's Roger Morton. I don't
know if I am saying it right but it's as since bands like Low or Arab
Strap around that there is a sort of new blues-indication in music as
the music from Tex La Homa sounds so much like Badly Drawn Boy, Radar
Bros or Elliot Smith...the sort of modern troubadourism in where the
artist doesn't has time to say how beautiful everything is as it's all
fucked up anyway... It's a gorgeous fairy tale of the modern society
in where we live in...and there is no one who has to be told lies about
it. Hearing this cd is facing the hard truth and the most strange thing
is : it feels good... ' Dreams never end
Tex La Homa is actually just one guy, Matt Shaw. Mr. Shaw wrote, performed,
and produced the twelve indie-with-a-dash-of-electronica songs on Dazzle
Me With Transience. For just one guy, heís done a pretty good
job, unless you canít forgive the use of a drum machine, in which
case you should run like the dickens. Mr. Shaw's 'band' sounds a lot
like other indie bands that Iíve heard. 'Something Good'and 'Robot
Arms Devoid of Feeling' could be tracks from The Clientele's Suburban
Light. The former also has a dash of Her Space Holiday (so does 'Never
Gonna Go Away' ), and the latter features guitar stylings a la The Secret
Stars. The fuzzed out 'Launch'could have been a My Bloody Valentine
song. Dazzle Me With Transience would also go well with an American
Analog Set album. There are a few interesting quirks to be found here
ñ the sound of being underwater on 'Cool Runnings'and 'Need to
Find a Way,' for instance, but mostly this is straightforward quiet
bedroom pop. Itís not quite as remarkable as its influences,
but it's a respectable facsimile. preamp
Beginning life as a studio-based project for songwriter/producer
Matt Shaw, Tex la Homa has evolved into a complete experience, including
live shows that have gained a reputation for challenging the sonic extremes
of Mogwai. This breakbeats-meets-indiepop combination will please fans
of Massive Attack to Yo La Tengo. The chemistry of Tex la Homaís
tunes may a simple one, but rarely does any act derive such an attractive
result from it. The vast majority of 'Dazzle Me With Transience'is based
around complicated, but purposely looped breakbeats backing intricate
guitars and Matt Shaw's half-whispered vocals. In fact all instrumentation,
songwriting and production (except for minimal contributions by Dave
Purse) on 'Dazzle Me With Transience'was a result of the creative genius
that is Matt Shaw. The lo-fi output regularly pays homage to such acts
as Yo La Tengo, Massive Attack, Mogwai and even Joy Division however
there are downfalls. Whilst the beauty of this fragile release is enough
to immerse to listener, as the album progresses it becomes rather obvious
that there is a lack of progression amongst the tracks to initiate additional
movement in the brain, which is what sets the already mentioned acts
apart from the field. Still, this album is of resounding beauty, regardless
of the repetitiveness. A predictable chemistry will disappoint those
expecting this release to change their life, however this shouldnít
take away from the fact that this is one of the most enjoyable listens
of 2002. Without a hint of pretentiousness, Tex la Homa break down the
barrier between happiness and depression and create a sleepy-eyed long
player that can be enjoyed by anyone in the need for minimal, yet persuasive
mood music.
Rating: 7.6 out of 10. noisetheory.net
for me this is the jewel in the superglider crown.
while the ep's are showcases for some of the standout tracks on the
full lengther i would head straight for the lp 'dazzle me...'. and submerge
your senses within its glorious soundscapes. though honourable mentions
must go to the excellently simple 'piano song' on the 'here with you'
ep. a classic song that could soundtrack many a decent ad campaign,
and the interesting live version of 'never go away' with its its extended
epic guitar workout - revealing the bands passion to rock out a little
more from time to time perhaps ?
anyway back to the album ...
the overall atmosphere has a lot of the feel of pre-oasis creation records
when guitars chimed alongside subtle studio experimentation, when bands
strived for that total blissout effect via guitars and harmony all within
the same song.the guitar led ambience of slowdive, the melodic overdrive
of classic era house of love, and a taste for my bloody valentines'
passion for guitar effects are all buried in these lazy grooves.
spine tingling after effects in several places, 'feel tied down','when
i am lost' to name but two.the vocals are mild, soft, predominantly
whispered. whereas the basslines deep and in some places dubby (oh for
an on-u remix of 'here with you'), and the guitars ? well there are
lots of gorgeous shoegazing guitars, that return of the quiet wall of
noise style is all over this release - and thats a good thing. very
good thing.
there are songs which can literally make you just stop what you're doing
and listen 'cool running', something that little of post-oasis creation
releases ever did. the electronica pulses and extra touches that are
splattered throughout do not distract and make the songs cold and unemotional
like a lot of "guitar + protools" set ups can do, the two
worlds are joined in a very natural setting. quietly bringing it all
home, like you should this cd. ireallylovemusic
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