Clandestine Psych

Not that long ago, I had the good fortune to see Los Llamarada at the Cake Shop here in NYC. These guys were sick, and there was loads of feedback cutting all over the place and everyone was having a great time. Also, they probably have about the coolest looking guitar player in North America.

I’ve been wanting to see this band for some time, ever since I read about them in Z-Gun. In fact, when I was Hungary I considered taking the train out to see them there when they played some festival in Europe—Belgium, maybe? But I didn’t have the money. All sorts of great music came out in 2007, and I kept getting worried that I was missing it all because I was in Budapest and when I got back all the bands would be broken up.

Anyway, Los Llamarada is pretty harrowing, not least of all because they are noisy as shit. The songs move through weird territory and defy easy categorization. They are totally remarkable and a lot of fun, and also, listening to it gives you evil psychedelic powers. Right now, Los Llamarada have two albums. The first one, The Exploding Now!, came out a little while ago and was recorded mostly on crummy tape recorders, which made it sound awesomely clandestine and caused music fans the world around to shit their pants with joy.


Their second album, Take the Sky, came out just recently. It’s recorded on slightly better equipment and may, in fact, have slightly better songs than the first one, although it’s hard to say for sure. I like it a whole lot. Retains Llamarada's invisible creepiness while aspiring to marginally higher-fi.


These guys also have a 7”, but I haven’t heard it. Both albums are insanely good, and you will love them unless, of course, you are some strange gray Stasi agent in the employ of insectile overlords, and seek to destroy every single last inch of progress that rock and roll has made since Bo Diddley was birthed. It’s very possible that there are other bands that mine similar sonic territory out there—for all I know, some guy with a beard and weird pants could tell you “These guys sound just like Dead C meets Lothar and the Hand People. Ho hum!” But me, I am not that guy with a beard. I have no beard. But I think that Los Llamarada are really fucking rad, and not enough bands sound like this.


I didn't take this photo; I took it from the Los Llamarada photo page.