Focal Point : Love Tractor

Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in the world who is aware of & appreciates Love Tractor and their  music. I know this can't be the case, but with this attitude in mind, I'm quite proud to present  Love Tractor (to anyone out there that's never heard of them) as the latest entry in Psychic Tuesday's monthly "focal point" series!

I specifically chose this time of year to showcase this band, because their music somehow always makes me think of the excitement and cheer of late Summer / early Fall. This is probably so because I believe it was around this season when my good friend Jesse Sierke 1st introduced them to me.

 So, who exactly were Love Tractor, you may be asking?

Well, alongside R.E.M., Pylon and The B-52s, Love Tractor were one of those great Athens, GA bands of the 1980s. They started out as a purely instrumental group, but slowly and surely, vocals started finding their way into the songs.

Jon Pareles of The New York Times aptly described their sound:

"Most of Love Tractor's material moves at the steady pace of 1960's folk-rock, using winsome guitar leads above a cushion of rhythm guitar and a reassuring bass. Like instrumentals by the Ventures or the Raybeats. Love Tractor's tunes use two or three recurring segments and little improvisation. But they don't repeat - they develop. Where song lyrics might have told a story, Love Tractor let the texture of the music thicken. The drumming gets busier, or the bass line pushier, or the lead guitar line more intricate; the clear, catchy melodies grow more urgent with each reprise. When a vocal floats in for a few moments, it's just one more unassuming, thoroughly melodic piece of a song."


I'm so happy to share this band's music!
Perhaps you'll dig it as much as I do!

 As always,

 *** ENJOY ***

 

You can download the mix and track list RIGHT HERE.

Here are some choice Love Tractor 80's moments :

and lastly, here's The Feelies covering "Fun To Be Happy"

now for some

1.



So we all know about global warming ... Ever heard of global cooling?
If not, that's apparently what we're just starting to experience.
Read more about it HERE & HERE.

 2.

The video below is absolutely amazing … Witness these cephalopods changing shape ... "Camouflage just means fooling whatever's looking at you"! Go HERE for a detailed explanation!

 

3.


God bless Phil Elverum! "I make art, not pants" !
Just hear what he had to say to a disgruntled customer (of his music) HERE.
Yes!!!

Here's a string of great black and white videos, starting with this fantastic one from Lee Noble

Alabama's own Waxahatchee and some black and white tap-dancing!

Trentemøller brings us black and white nudity, blurs and ink!

and Deerhunter provide us with a nice B&W-to- color transition!

On the color side of things, expect to be surprised by this Jonathan Rado video!

If you've ever seen the great Scorcese film "After Hours", you will LOVE this homage to it by Au Revoire Simone!

Speaking of films, this Julia Holter one plays out like a micro movie

Here's a nice past & future collision with Glasser

Shit Robot shows us a day in the life of a "cosmos body" ... haha

Woah! This Christian dude hits a craaazy low C, sure to make ole Satan proud! haha

OMG ... Ryan sent this bizarre clip about "Korean poo wine"!
Yikes! Cheers, R!

And finally, Elise posted this (not funny just) amazing clip called "The Scarecrow" featuring Fionna Apple's singing. Wow! Thanks, E!