Sic Alps made some minor waves back in 2008 when their track “Message from the Law” appeared at number ninety on Pitchfork’s top 100 tracks of the year. ”Message from the Law” was a gritty garage anthem, perhaps most notable for its ability to eschew the trappings of ‘garage rock’ that had become so prevalent by 2008. It was endlessly replayable due to its simplicity.
As we turn the calendars forward to 2011, Sic Alps have a new album on the horizon. ”Napa Asylum” will be released on Drag City on January 25 and features 22 tracks over four sides. The first taste of this album comes via the oddball single “Do You Want to Give $$.” The track is built around an intriguing baseline that serves as the “melody” throughout the song, even during the early whistle (!) solo. Eventually, fuzzy guitars enter the background to augment the bassline, but they function only as accents, not as the primary focus of the track.
It is a brave decision to have the bass serve as the primary instrument on a lead single (although, perhaps the whistle solo is more daring…). As a result, “Do You Want to Give $$” sounds unlike anything else being released these days. The question is whether that is a good thing. Ultimately, despite the artistic risks taken by Sic Alps, “Do You Want to Give $$” sounds more like a curio than a track with staying power. Still, they show enough ambition to warrant checking out the 21 other tracks on “Napa Asylum” to see which of their ideas hit.
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Sic Alps – “Do You Want To Give $$”
