Mr. Hide: Gettin’ Hide Review

by josh keller · Published June 29, 2012 · Updated July 1, 2012

Anyone familiar with the local label Soothing Almond Collective knows of the talented bands that circulate the labels orbit. Alongside more obtuse/avant garde groups like Tips for Twat, Tender Meat Slapping Purses and The Liz, there are some ragged pysch pop gems lurking in the SAC catalog. Groups like Dante and the Lobster, Velvet Davenport and Larry Wish and His Guys have all released material that fits in the Nuggets mold of dusty, garage derived rock and roll. Unbeknownst to me the label had released an album in 2010 that topped even the great work of the previously mentioned bands, the startling amazing Gettin’ Hide by Mr. Hide. The group, which is a side project for members who are in all kinds of other bands, created one of the most fully realized documents that I have heard from the label and one of the most enjoyable local records I have heard in a very long time.

I am embarrassed I missed their tape Gettin’ Hide when it dropped in 2010, but it seems from a quick Google search that I am not alone in missing this hidden gem. Luckily the folks at SAC seem to have known what they had on their hands and re-issued the tape recently. From the jangly haze of “Walkin Along” to the circular riff of “Hittin the road,” Gettin’ hide is a confident, well realized collection of songs that sounds like it could have been unearthed from a late 1960’s studio session. The group has an innate sense of creating songs that mine a certain sound without sounding tired or stale. From the confident strut of “Headin Down” to the suave “I don’t Wanna be your fool,” to the claustrophobic “Icicle Man,” the record doesn’t sound like it was recorded in a home studio (it was). It is crazy to think songs like the lush “Blue Dream” and the gentle “W.e.e.D” are sitting in the dustbins of history while Owl City is selling out shows. The bands on SAC have a tendency to make their music as rough around the edges as possible, but outside of the fuzz, Gettin’ Hide is a record that doesn’t add any barriers to the listening experience. Just straight up garage-pysch done exceptionally well. This is a tape that should not be missed and hopefully the re-issue will help to get this amazing tape some much desereved attention.

Grab the tape from the SAC website HERE. or see the band tomorrow night at Palmers with TV Ghost and Littlefoot for what should be an amazing show.