Spray Paint And The Rebel "Charles And Roy's Purple Wang" LP
Last year, as a co-headlining tour of Europe commenced, a pact was proposed. What if there was a spontaneous in-studio merger between the deadpan deconstructionists of England’s singular The Rebel and Austin post-punk aggregate Spray Paint? In the tradition of the finest Marvel Comics team-ups, this 12” EP, known to the world as Charles’ And Roy’s Purple Wang, came to exist.
C & R’s Purple Wang EP features tour n-jokes and astute observations getting wrangled into impressive songscapes, such as on “Look! Air Innit?” which pulses with a startling immediacy and unexpected intensity. Throbbing synth tickle features prominently on this opening salvo. “Moron Water” splashes around until it settles into an impatient groove, while “Space Ghettos” and “Heads On Spikes” hew closer to The Rebel’s brand of cheap keyboard dementia. “Mitch, Mitch, Mitch (Huntsman Reaction)” most closely echoes Spray Paint’s patented paranoid jams featuring their distinctive guitar clash. “MES OBVS” is a sideways tribute to an iconic figure who still managed to be as slippery as quicksilver. Wallers has always had a way with a title, and the deliciously-named “Let Me Hit Whitney Houston’s Last Joint” revisits the kick-off track and has an unmistakable Country Teasers piss rivulet running right through it -- snatches of piano and some fever dream’s idea of what country & western music sounds like in the waiting room for Purgatory. -e/n
