Altered Zones

Burlington, VT guitar/drums duo The Vacant Lots first came to our attention last Fall with "Confusion", a tambourine-shaking, sitar-padded psych-rock anthem that seemed to marry early Velvets with early Spiritualized on a dirty shag rug. The cut makes its 7" vinyl debut on Mexican Summer today, with the trailblazin' "Cadillac", below, on the flip. There are few things more ominously minimal than a two-note vocal line-- other than a one-note one, of course, which probably why "Confusion" continues to hypnotize.

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MP3: The Vacant Lots: "Confusion"

Confusion 7" is out today on Mexican Summer. Stream the band's Hypnotized e-LP in full on bandcamp, and peep Winter tour dates on MySpace

Burlington, VT duo The Vacant Lots and their raga-tinged psych anthems are shrouded in the sinister magnetism of a mystery narcotic best left untouched. Though it's only two notes tall and basic as all hell, the twangy guitar hook on "Confusion" is what gets me every time; we know that we're just sailing along, that the waters are still and the earth is flat, but somehow all this stasis leaves us shaking in the knees. The song's harmonic backbone is a continuous drone, and what passes for a vocal line here is nothing but a single note. Have Jared Artaud and Brian MacFayden landed us at the crossroads of pop and minimalism, or are they reminding us that the two are really one and the same? (via Visitation Rites)

MP3: The Vacant Lots: "Confusion"

Hypnotized LP is available for download via Bandcamp