Stream: The Cthulhus “Three Decapitated Computers”

(from the L’Erosion CD-R available from the Cthulhus)

Remember how Sick Boy in Trainspotting quit heroin at the same time as Renton, just to show how easily he could do it? The Cthulhus bully Nathan Williams in the same way; they’re clearly mining Wavves territory, and yet they do it so effortlessly. (In another analogy I thought up, Wavves was a Big Mac and Cthulhus an Arch Deluxe.) Not that the Cthulhus always hit the lo-fi sweet spot that Wavves does, but these two albums are what Wavves could have been if Williams wasn’t so busy jerking off to his own Pitchfork review. I mean, World of Hurt even HAS a song called “Waves/Atmospherics” that seems to blatantly steal the Wavves baton while adding a creepy vintage organ sound into the mix that would have made Wavves’ Wavvves album KILL. And “Around the Sun” steals the vocal flange of Wavvves’ “Weed Demon” to far better effect, emotionally. And “Blood on My Face,” steals that vibe and goths it up, going more goth than any goth title on Wavvves. And, in general, the whole thing kicks Wavves’ ass. The L’Erosion album is the more twangy and garagey of the two. On tracks like “The Maybe,” the organ gets so distorted and evil, it’s like Vincent Price being gang-raped by the Mummies. “The Three Decapitated Computers” takes the computerized keyboards a step further, sounding like Metroid or Mario Bros., except that the tempo speeds way up as unexpectedly as a Game Genie glitch. And “The Truth Is Not Real” is a song NEVER to listen to with surround sound—it already feels like the overpowering breath of a bully on your neck, slamming the kick-me sign of TRUTH onto your back. I’m probably wrong in suspecting this band of stealing Wavves’ sound. Serendipity is real, and Van Nuys is a far cry from San Diego. But if you like Wavves, you’ll LOVE the Cthulhus. And if you ARE Wavves, you done got schooled, son!

—Dan Collins