Clipd Beaks

The members of Clipd Beaks grew up playing in prog-rock, art-core and jam-type bands in their native Minneapolis. Bassist Scott Ecklein and drummer Ray Benjamin have known each other since grade school; guitarist and synth player Greg Pritchard joined the fold soon after; singer Nic Barbeln rounded out the lineup...

By Toph One

December 6, 2007

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The members of Clipd Beaks grew up playing in prog-rock, art-core and jam-type bands in their native Minneapolis. Bassist Scott Ecklein and drummer Ray Benjamin have known each other since grade school; guitarist and synth player Greg Pritchard joined the fold soon after; singer Nic Barbeln rounded out the lineup when the group jelled in 2003. Two EPs followed, the self-released Gang Caves in 2003 and last year's Preyers, recorded as the band moved on from its childhood stamping grounds to a new life in Oakland. On their debut full-length, Hoarse Lords, Clipd Beaks fly their freak flag sky-high, raising quite a commotion in the process. This is a gleefully noisy disc, somewhat akin to Nothing's Shocking-era Jane's Addiction in the echoed, howling vocals and long, plunking bass lines. The title track is also the disc's highlight, as Barbeln channels both Perry Farrell and the Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes among a crash of cymbals. The disc is a collection of churning, artsy post-punk, experimental in sound and general aesthetic. Indeed, as the haunting final notes of "Let It Win" fade at the end, it's obvious that Clipd Beaks are up for wherever their spirited sound takes them.

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