Little Tornados - Apocalypse!

‘Apocalypse!’ is the second offering from Little Tornados which is the European psychedelic/ country project of David Thayer. It also features on this record bass lines and backing vocals from Laetitia Sadier (Stereolab), drumming by Emmanuel Mario (Holden, Astrobal), John Herndon (Tortoise), and Hans Hansen, bass by Amin Khatir, guitar by Joel Raif, and some vocal work by Caroline Sallee (Caroline Says) and Giorgio Tuma. It all perhaps sounds a little DIY or hand me down when one learns that it was made with the use of tube synthesizers and discarded home organs found on the streets and in the thrift stores of Switzerland, but this actually works really well and sounds a lot better than surface impressions might suggest. David Thayer has co-written some of the tracks on and arranged the last two Sadier albums, and has also worked on some of her videos as well as those for Holden, Swiss/Peruvian artist Susana Perro-tet and Astrobal (Emmanuel Mario’s project). He has also provided vocal and keyboard arrangements on an upcoming Nina Savery project entitled ‘Next Level Soap Opera’. The hard-working Thayer started making music in 1989 in his home town of San Jose, California, recording and arranging sounds onto cassette and sending them to his favourite college radio station KFJC. Moving to San Francisco in 1994, he worked at the Bahia Cabana club, where he collaborated with the likes of Carl Craig, Juan Atkins, Mark Broom, Dave Klark and Atari Teenage Riot for the first time, before moving on to organize his own experimental events there with the likes of Mr. C (Shamen), Dubtribe, Space Time Continuum and B.A.S.S Kru. Thayer then began making electronic music under the name Xeno Volcano, playing squats in Switzerland and Germany, and returning to the US four times to tour the experimental and noise circuit. As well as other ventures in Zurich, Thayer has also made the documentaries ‘Bigfoot a Beast on the Run’, ‘,Die Verbotene Sprache’, and ‘Documental Rio Bogota’. He continues to work as a videographer in Switzerland as well as turning out music whenever he gets the chance. The whole sound of ‘Apocalypse!’ recalls early Bran van 2000 before they became too disco. ‘I Disappear' is a fine example of this and is the strongest track on the album. There are some fine psychedelic things to be had elsewhere including mixed tempo tracks such as the penultimate 'Texas' which has some insane 70's beats and some trippy samples to savour.