WZT HEARTS "Heat Chief"
12" LP, 500 copies, 100 on white vinyl.
June 2006
Comprised of Flynn on drums, multi-instumentalists Michael Haleta and Jeff Donaldson (both formerly of French Mistake), and Jason Urick on laptop, Wzt Hearts have been playing together for two years now. Produced by Rob Girardi at Big Crunch Studio in Catonsville, "Heat Chief" was recorded live with no overdubs. True to form, the four members of Wzt Hearts simply showed up, plugged in, and cranked it out for a few hours, editing and mixing down the best parts of their session. All live, the album captures the extremities of the band’s sound, from in-depth explorations of scraggly distortion to drone mentalism to guitar sunbursts.
With two extended takes followed by two shorter, more ambient takes, Wzt Hearts’ debut shows a quartet exploring the limits of its sound. Although Wzt Hearts are not specifically beholden to the winsome lysergics of the Animal Collective, the monolithic roar of Wolf Eyes, or the cerebral academic tabletop guitar experimentalism of AMM member Keith Rowe (with whom Haleta is also a regular collaborator), the album effortlessly segues from harsh digital dissonance to spare guitar ripples and sweet melodic ambience.
The lack of traditional song structures and penchant for experimentation, however, doesn’t mean the band aims for a difficult, confrontational aesthetic. "We really are working to create something beautiful and not trite," Urick maintains. "I, for one, am not into the idea of being abstract for the sake of itself. In my head we are making pretty accessible music." Accessible or not, it’s clear after one listen that Wzt Hearts have staked their claim as a band to be watched.
Pitchfork
NOISEWEEK
Baltimore City Paper's Album of the Year
www.myspace.com/wztheartssss