“Oregon” - Junk Culture

Brushing up on my Junk Culture knowledge, I must make the comment that every other blogger begins their Junk Culture article with - Junk Culture is a-changing. There is a stark differences between new album Wild Quiet and all of Deepak Mantena’s older material. Sample-heavy and cut-up, older songs like “West Coast” and “Summer Friends” share a similar sense of fun (and the samples are still present) with “Oregon,” but the new single feels almost like a new band entirely. Mantena’s joyous west coast-pining is now propped up in a  more traditional structure, dressed up with big, banging drums and a heavy dose of fuzz. It’s more grown-up  - fitting Mantena’s own words “I looked in the mirror and discovered all these white hairs in my beard,” and the meaning behind Wild Quiet. It’s an album about the different stages of life and other heavy subjects, carried (at least here) by a youthful, exuberant melody - a meaningful and overwhelmingly effective contrast, when executed correctly. Wild Quiet will be out July 31st  on Illegal Art - and everything continues to fit so well. Also, Mantena has quite a fine twitter, from a name that I’d like to take for my own twitter (@ilikepants) to the comedic content.

- Tyler Hanan