ALPS
Alps of New South Wales
SIDE A:
01. (I.W.N.G.A.I.) (1:10)
02. W.D.Y.D.F. (2:36)
03. L.G.O.M.W.,O.C.T. (3:14)
04. I.C.C.A.A. (1:09)
05. Y.C.H.U. (2:08)
SIDE B:
06. I.Y.W.S.F.A. (2:06)
7. I.I.D.D.F. (1:04)
08. I.N.L.(F.A.W.D.F.) (2:53)
09. N.F.A.G.A.A. (4:14)
10. I.D.L.S.? (4:03)
format:
LP
edition:
300
packaging:
Hand-screened sleeves
featuring a drawing by chris hearn
&c:
Armed with a church organ,
a casio keyboard, a dictaphone loaded with
pre-recorded beats & an uncanny knack
for catchy-as-hell pop hooks,
Alps is the solo guise of one Christopher Frances Hearn,
who used to be in bands like Bene Gesserit
& Organ Doner Kebab.
Following a CD-R EP & a lathe-cut 8",
Alps of New South Wales is his debut full-length,
a wholly engaging collection of glorious
pop songs, coloured by just enough weirdness
to keep the sweetness in check.
listen:
press:
An intruiging, moving record that gives the distinct impression of being posted from
Christopher Hearn's bedroom straight to you. For a start, it appears to have been recorded
from beneath a mattress: dfftt-dfftt goes the drum machine, like somebody whacking
a pillow with a wet feather, phhppp buzz the cheap keyboards, overloading the mic.
Song titles are rough acronyms of scrawled lyrics, hence "I.C.C.A.A."
("I couldn't care at all, I am impartial to this, bloated with disinterest").
The words you can catch, leaning in close to the stereo, are awkward, beautiful & desperately sad.
Alps is the kind of album you make when you can't face leaving the house, though you
have to do something to keep yourself together, & as such the recording is
a hesitant gift - like a zine, almost. This is DIY electro-pop with a heart, as opposed to a haircut.
-Emmy Hennings, mess+noise