Shameless Tuesdays: Livre 156 | The Giraffes
Giraffes make for the best spirit animals, as they're the only living creatures with their heads in the clouds and their feet planted on the ground. It's the perfect name for a heavy rock band too, one that New York City's The Giraffes have happily laid claim to. Their eighth album Cigarette brings a psychedelic aura with foot-stomping guitar riffs, perfect for those who want to get high while keeping close to the grass below. From the heavy jam "Million Year Old Song" and the fast-paced "Limping Horse" to the smoke-stained spirals of "The Shot", The Giraffes latest release will stick with you like the scent of filter-less tobacco in your nostrils. But there's still one gasper left in the pack, and The Giraffes are happily giving it to us via this week's Shameless Tuesdays.
Here's what vocalist Aaron Lazar has to say about this week's playlist:
The Giraffes are known as a guitar band, which is something of an anachronism these days maybe - who knows... it's always changing and there is always someone eager to spit out a half informed opinion in dire language about the death or rebirth of this or that. I am a singer first and foremost and a pretty terrible guitarist in a band with one of the most gifted and naturally unconventional guitarists alive today. This means I have developed an ear for things that maybe most people have not. I also function as the editor in the band so I am the one chopping off parts here and there usually which forces me to be ruthless in my tastes.
This playlist is a loose collection of guitar based tracks spanning everything from our stuff to old country to contemporary noise and trip hop. All of these songs hinge on the guitar parts. This is not a collection of "licks" but rather an exploration of what the instrument can do to define and sculpt ideas. From the spanish flamenco style classical flourishes in Marty Robbins Devil Woman, to the angular sheets of dissonant polyrhythms in Horse Lords People's Park the guitars are doing the heavy lifting here without destroying the rest of the arrangements. As in the Giraffes the guitar leads the charge but it may not always be out front. The death of the instrument has been widely reported on a frequency of 7-8 years repeatedly, someone always finds ways to make it sound fresh and unique. This is my ever evolving cabinet of guitar curiosities, I hope you enjoy it!
For more information on The Giraffes, visit their official website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Check out their latest album Cigarette below via their Bandcamp!
Promotional consideration provided by Shameless Promotion PR.