Carriage House Plans: Alternator

Sunday, 6 January 2013

Alternator

This is one of those overly esoteric indie bands that like Godspeed You Black Emperor! and want to downplay any information about their contributors and collaborators. Even their website states, "This band has no members." Yeah, nice try. Arizona Amp and Alternator is fronted by Giant Sand's Howe Gelb and includes a credible cornucopia of members from Granddaddy and the Arcade Fire, along with getting ample help from M. Ward, Scout Niblett and Marie Frank. OK, now that we've totally blown their secret, let's talk about the music. It's a delightfully shambolic mix of twangless Americana. Loads of antiquated (and often de-tuned) acoustic instruments strum, rattle and vibrate over a patchwork of clamoring accompaniments that sound like obscure objects pilfered from Tom Waits' garage. When Gelb and Frank's haunting harmonies come together, they're like two somewhat awkward dancers who are madly in love with each other.