There are days when I really love this job. This is one of those days. Being able to hear great music -- music that would otherwise have taken a freak listen to a track on a Magnet sampler or some act of God to discover -- is more than a pleasure. Aviso'Hara is the latest in a string of the bands I've been fortunate enough to discover in the past months.
Though I knew nothing of this band until recently, these guys have actually been around since '95, contributing to numerous compilation albums in addition to releasing a couple of singles and the full length Good Night, Sweetheart. Somewhere in the midst of the usual indie-band touring-like-crazy (possibly playing for nothing beer in a venue or two), Aviso'Hara rounded up their producer/engineer friend Wayne Dorell (Whiskey Town, Chavez) to help piece together what would become Our Lady Of The Highway.
Our Lady... is really just straight up rock, but it's done well. For one thing, Aviso'Hara have in their possession a drummer who is more than enthusiastic about letting loose behind his kit. This could be a liability for a lot of bands, but thankfully, drummer Benny Rodriguez has harnessed the actuality that less is often more. He exhibits this restraint beautifully on the dolefully executed "Rain Test" -- but something tells me that Rodriguez would rather rock out, and he gets his wish on most of the other tracks.
In addition to Benny "Animal" Rodriguez, Aviso'Hara offer guitars, wall of sound style. They swirl, cascade, distort and generally rock. Though the band is often compared to the likes of Sonic Youth, there's a strong feel of The Posies as well. If you've heard "Flood of Sunshine" from The Posies' Dear 23, you'll understand what I mean. I can't help but think that when Aviso'Hara gets together to practice, it turns into more of an unadulterated jam session.
It would, however, be wrong to label these guys merely as a noise band. They have a bit more depth than that, and it becomes more apparent after repeated listening, when strong melodies and vocal harmonies hint at pop undertones. This influence is most obvious on "Bradley Wake-up" and again on the heartbreaking "Sonic Ego-Size."
While Our Lady... is one of those albums that take a few spins to sink in, it's well worth the wait to hear the layers of sound and tales of, in the band's own words, "failure and fragile egos." Aviso'Hara may be content to live in obscurity for a few more years...but if they continue to churn out music like this on a consistent basis, I can't imagine that they'll be there much longer.
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