Anatomy of the Image
Format: LP(Violet Vinyl)
Label: Geographic North
Cat No: GN32
A 2016 work by Lyonnais, an experimental rock band from Atlanta, including the two founders of <Geographic North> . A noisy, drunken sound reminiscent of Spacemen 3 and My Bloody Valentine. A roaring trip album that absorbs 80s post-punk and psychedelic rock◎
Atlanta's Lyonnais returns with its second LP, strangling the expansive highs and narcotic lows of its 2011 debut full length for Hoss Records into a more rhythmic affair. The quartet, featuring members TJ Blake (drums, also of Lotus Plaza) and Lee Tesche (guitars , also of Algiers), Farzad Moghaddam (bass, synths, Geographic North co-founder), and Farbod Kokabi (guitar, vocals, Geographic North co-founder), parallel the frostbitten modes of This Heat and Clan of Xymox.
"Pavilionism," the unflinching opening transmission from Anatomy of the Image eschews any formal attempt at inauguration. Its purpose rather? A succinct 6-minute palate cleanser granting listeners left standing to permeate in a collection of spectral and skeletal drone-punk groovers.
Produced and mixed in the dog days of a Los Angeles county summer by Ale Cohen (Pharaohs, Languis), using sessions recorded at Brooklyn's Rumpus Room with the recording/engineering team of R. Mexico (Hoss Records, Mexcellent) and Ryan Rasheed (Leblaze , Prefuse 73), Anatomy of the Image stands a singular statement on the anxiety of self.
The stirring, moonlit gospel "Vienna Circles" is a vulnerable force of nature, driven by a not-so-subtle sense of desperation. "Friendly Fires" sees Section 25's classic offering of modern warfare reworked and reappraised, stretching its post-punk canons into a breathless ambiance. The original's strident rhythm section remains, now existing in a vacuum co-inhabited by Playing With Fire-era Spacemen 3.
In "Hyperblues" we find Anatomy's linchpin. A romanticized, sympathetic listening; an arresting dream-pop epic exploring a trapdoor in the void. Apprehension, repentance, resolve—the ultimate human condition as defined by the anatomy of the image.
TJ Blake (drums)
Lee Tesche (guitars)
Farzad Moghaddam (bass, synths)
Farbod Kokabi (guitar, vocals)
Additional guitars on "Friendly Fires" by Mason Brown
Saxophone on "Vienna Circles" and "Friendly Fires" by Stellar Rahim
Additional percussion on "Pan Am Sun Isles" by R. Mexico & Ryan Rasheed
Backing vocals on "Hyperblues" by Alejandro Cohen
Recorded and engineered by Alejandro Cohen (Los Angeles), R. Mexico & Ryan Rasheed (Brooklyn)
Additional recording by Jake Viator
Mixed by Alejandro Cohen
Mastered by Paul Gold