Send "Wild Orchid Children " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Absolutepunk |
 After winning the World Series this year, bearded mad man and Billy Mays' doppelganger Brian Wilson wanted to do one thing: "RAGE!" Who wouldn't have? His team beat the Rangers 4-1. Though it seemed like Wilson mentally cashed in his tickets to the greatest cliche on Earth to otherwise hit the streets like a maniac, I'm sure it was a positive one in the end.The exonerating and almost exorcising feeling of "rage" sums up every inch of Wild Orchid Children's debut album. ...Are Alexander Supertramp. It hits your senses from all angles and only lets up for extended amounts of time, only to come back in the most abrasive waves. After the album's intro, we're greeted with the eighteen and a half minute "Black Shiny FBI Shoes," a track straight out of the psych-jams of Wish You Were Here or 13th Floor Elevators. Rhythmically tight and one of the best jams you'll hear all year, Kirk Huffman sounds like a young Zach De La Rocha through the shining reverb of his snarling vocals. As the song takes a tribal journey most of the way through, it explodes in aggression for its final minute. "Peyote Coyote" is a superb jam that digs downbeats and trenches. "Martha Washington Goes to War" is a standout track with gang vocals, quick licks and a memorable ending reminiscent of another great album this year - Brothers. Then the album slows its tempo in the second half of "Birth of a Cabin" into "Where the Mexican Boys Go." A complete acid trip of a flashback to 'Nam. Sometimes it slips the mind that Wild Orchid Children are made up of members of Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, Forgive Durden and Gatsby's American Dream, but when you think about it, it makes perfect sense that this is a new moniker for their talents....full text |
| Therecordrebellion |
| I want it to be know right away that even though I’m going to be making a few references to other artists, in no way does Wild Orchid Children bear any direct similarities to them. It may seem weird for me to make a statement like this right off the bat, but believe me, it’s necessary. WOC’s debut release is by far the most original album I’ve heard all year, and it’s going to be very difficult to describe. So I’m going to make these comparisons because I have to in order to give you the faintest idea of what it’s like. In a nutshell, …Are Alexander Supertramp is a blast of unrelenting rock n’ roll, in every sense possible, through a smoke screen of noise and utter chaos. There’s just so many places I could start… But I might as well give you a heads-up with “Black Shiny FBI Shoes”, which follows the opening/introduction track “We Are Alexander Supertramp”. Where any other band might feel the need to ease a listener into their sound, pending how diverse it is, it’s clearly evident in “FBI Shoes” that WOC don’t share this sentiment. The whole band kicks in at full force, completely abandoning even the thought of holding back. The guitars carry some serious rock-like feel, and since they go hand in hand with the organ/keyboard, the ending result is slightly theatrical, but with a serious edge. (Fans of The Dear Hunter will have the best idea as to what I’m referring to.) But this isn’t why I wanted to discuss this song first. What seriously made my eyes pop out of my head was how it is 18 + minutes long. Needless to say this is a huge risk for the first full song on the album, and it takes a lot of guts for the band to be so confident. 4 minutes in, and the instrumental section starts up with tribal drums through out it’s 10+ min. length, with the drums, guitar, and keys trading off in a jam-band like fashion. And you know what, it works. It’s really not difficult to maintain your attention, which is probably due an unavoidable curiosity as to where this is going. But I urge to stick with it because you’re rewarded in the closing minute with what is easily the heaviest moment of the entire album, complete with the vocalist screaming his head off and the instrumentation giving off a surprising hardcore feel....full text |
| Bringonmixedreviews |
| Several words come to mind when I encountered Wild Orchid Children for the first time. Earthy, rustic, and quixotic to name a few. It may have something to do with the “Gonzo Soul” genre tag the band has given themselves, or the strong indie presence of their live shows — or even the fact that their new album modestly titled “The Wild Orchid Children Are Alexander Supertramp,” has some of the most enigmatic song titles and lyrics known to rock-kind (ie. Gasoline Rainbows (Jesus is a Black Man)). And even if these six guys from Seatle, who recently signed with indie label Equal Vision Records, don’t always find the most accepting crowds ::cough:: Vancouver, they atleast know how to stir up interest in their likeably unconventional, albeit hipster, music. Odd to me about this record though is the way it seems to deflate, just as it sets the perfect anticipation. For instance you have the albums opener “We Are Alexander Supertramp” which has Kirk Huffman vocally setting the stage with soul-heavy hype — just to have the next track be one of the longest and slower building songs on the record. It’s like you get all psyched to listen to a firecracker track and they sit you down to listen to a lumbering opus of experimental percussion, keys, and effects. Another oddity is that Wild Orchid Children has such a unique sound, almost a soul-jam punk. A genre that would thrive nicely on grooving vocals that flow well with their tribal theme. Instead though, you have Kirk barking shouts akin to Zach De La Rocha (Rage Against The Machine) or Mike D (Beastie Boys), with the latter’s sampled beats replaced by hallucinogenic Deep Purple-esque stabs of creativity. “The Wild Orchid Children Are Alexander Supertramp” is a rushing and sporadic release, with everything from background organs, to soapbox shouts, Fall Of Troy riffs (Lazers In The Jungle), and an endless list of included instruments — something an experimental punk fan would instantly latch on to. Those who enjoy efforts with a focused direction however will find its, consistently shrill shouts and low attention span, too busy to listen to more then once or twice. I am honestly a much bigger fan of Hoffman’s former indie band Gatsbys American Dream, more so than his new found love of psychedelic punk, even if Wild Orchid Children offers a myriad of soul-driven musical possibilities. Sometimes when you make music that is too busy (and even annoying at times ie Kirk), we get disconnected to it. And after all of this peyote, I’m burnt out. ~Staff...full text |
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