UPDATED SEPTEMBER 29 2005Ned says we've sold some 20 copies of PYGA online. Here's some of the feedback about
Put Your Gun Away.
Badassmospheric rock that your friends haven't heard yet
Reviewer: Justin A.
Admittedly, even the website is badass - and the album deserves it. The opener track "Fete Fatale" gave me an idea of what it could sound like if Sonic Youth, Portishead or maybe even My Bloody Valentine ever tried to soundtrack a Philip K Dick novel or redo the music for Patrick McGoohan's spy/mindf*** show "The Prisoner". The rest of the album is similarly evocative, with a compelling signature sound.
Great album!
Reviewer: XXX
with this C.D. your life is less worthless
From CD Baby Three minute pop rock instrumentals. That’s right. With so many instrumental rockers concerned with the extended jam, The Invisible Rays ask the following: why make a song ten minutes long when you can make it in three and make it rock? The textured instrumental expanses (created by guitars, bass, drums, well-placed samples, and electronic elements) serve as musical building blocks while the actual songs swoon, hum, and buzz with some catchy pop prowess. While there are hints at Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, and Calexico, this record does stand alone; it is instantly appealing, and there’s plenty for you guitar geeks to dissect over the long term.
From The Noise - by Joe CoughlinThere's a special place in heaven for all-instrumental bands who can really pull it off, 'cause there's about a dozen if we're lucky. Except now it's 13. This is trotted out as "an imaginary spy film soundtrack," but it would work just as beautifully if they'd titled it "Steaming Pile Of Dung." What sets these forward thinkers ahead is the sheer variety of moods they're willing to take on. I mean, let's face it, The Ventures and Los Straitjackets are all good fun, but they don't exactly run ya through the emotional gamut. There's playful, pensive, sinister, spacey, and much more here, and not a note of it feels forced. Plus, it says they largely wrote it as they recorded, which hints at some massive possibilities for their future. The overall organic wash of this is far greater than the sum of its considerable riffs and soundbites, resulting in a grand head-trip of the finest order. I seriously can't wait to hear it in a moving car. Or for their next one. My only advice would be to bag the motifs next time, because some people are actually dumb enough to only hear what you tell them they're hearing. Just do your thing, because it happens to be extremely damn cool and necessary right about now.
Order your own copy of Put Your Gun Away at
Cd Baby.
This is a review from
Serge Entertainment Group, which I guess is out of Georgia.
Instrumental alt rock is very rare and Boston’s The Invisible Rays may be one of the most talented purveyors of this unique genre. With influences twisting from Midwestern punk of the Husker Du vein, to artsy melodies ala B-52’s and Devo, the music is still highly original and intellectual. More guitar personalities than Sybyl, eerie keyboard backdrops, tasty sampling garnishes and intricate but solid rhythms dominate this captivating CD.
LIVE SHOWS:
Opening for Kinski at TT's in August by Steve Gisselbrecht
The first thing I see of The Invisible Rays, who are playing when I enter TT's, is the huge bank of synthesizers that they're triggering samples from, and I'm nervous. This doesn't seem like my kind of thing, necessarily. But as I round the corner, I start to take in the really excellent drummer, the solid and melodic bassist, and the squealing, tragically undermixed guitar player. Plus the projection behind them, an oscilloscope trace of the output from the synth setup, which proves a suprisingly entrancing visual accompaniment to their set. The samples provide a lot of weird snippets of speech, mostly on the topic of synthesizers and sampling when I can make them out—it's all very recursive—and since there are otherwise no vocals, it's kind of nice to have that thrown into the mix. My own focus is on the rhythms, which are complicated and beautiful, with lots of good odd-time stuff that gets me dancing. A very pleasant surprise overall. Also pleasantly surprising is the respectable crowd here for the first band on a Tuesday night.
