Churchill's Tractor

"Operation Bootyslap!" CDR

Mr. Meow Records

Genres: diy rock, hometaper, lo-fi

Mr. Meow Records
8454 123rd St
Kew Gardens NY
11415 U.S.A.

Jun 23 - 29 2003

Churchill's Tractor is the independent recording outlet of John Churhill, an avid hometaper from New York City. His music is goofy and very lo-fi, reminiscent of fellow scenesters like MJB and Don Campau.  The poor production values and heavy use of the drum machine plant Churchill firmly in DIY territory, but the tunes are catchy enough to please most lo-fi freaks.

Operation: Bootyslap! is a solid CDR with a number of very pleasant, infectious songs.  One example is the slow, peaceful "Toys," which boasts a solid enough melody to actually get you humming along.  Opener "Hello" is catchy rock as filtered through a 1983 Walkman.  "Cuttin' A Rug," meanwhile, is a goofy, albeit infectious number that sees Churchill using the distortion pedal to an extraordinarily welcome effect.  A cover of Carole King's "Pleasant Valley Sunday" only adds to the fun of Operation: Bootyslap!

While that drum machine doesn't leave much room for variety, Churchill manages to pull off a solid hometaper artifact nonetheless.  He's got a very inspired songwriting sense, and will surely offer a lot to the lo-fi scene.

85%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 12 songs, distributed by the band, released 2002]