Sad Eyed Beatniks

After quite a few releases on his own Paisley Shirt Records, Kevin Linn takes his Sad Eyed Beatniks out into the wild, playing shows with a lineup that includes members of fell SF bands April Magazine and Flowertown and putting together his first record for Meritorio Records. Just as charmingly disarming as his past releases, Claudia’s Ethereal Weaver finds Linn moving through a field of jangles that squint at the glare of the sun off the haze. What’s most immediate about Linn’s latest is its complete lack of urgency — a record of repose in a world of rush. Songs amble through their pacing, wobbling with a smile, stuck in the duct tape trappings of four-track bliss. With bits of field recordings adhered to the sole of its shoes, Claudia’s shines when it’s most near the edge of its rails.

Linn sums this feeling up best in his own description of the album, saying that “first takes are often the best takes.” The record captures that immediacy and uses it as a guiding light. It’s not polished, but its damn well perfect anyway. The rough edges and pilled cotton riffs combine with muffled vocals, bringing to mind lost classics from Sebadoh, Beat Happening, R. Stevie Moore, and Television Personalities. The songs burrow under the skin until they start to gnaw at the brain, their hooks nagging in the wee hours of the night and the first light of the morning. Just another reason that all ears should be perked towards the blooming scene in San Francisco these days and another Meritorio classic.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.