Sunburned Hand of the Man

Sunburned Hand of the Man (MySpace) has been an experimental psychedelic noise collective (I don't even want to classify them as anything as they defy all generalizations and genre peggings) since its inception in Charlestown, Massachusettes way back in 1996. A collective in the most literal sense: the lineup changes, goes through phases; they used to be holed up a Charlestown loft that saw members and contributors come in and out on a regular and frequent basis; none of their releases have been expected or planned terribly far in advance ... they just sort of wax and wane like the moon.

In their tenure as a group, Sunburned has played with a plethora of heavyweights -- from Sonic Youth to Mission of Burma to Dinosaur Jr. -- as well as a myriad other bands, from Magik Markers to Sunn O))) to Wolf Eyes. To say the least, Sunburned has been around, paid its dues, collaborated with the best of 'em, the juniors and the seniors alike.

And now they just released the phenomenal masterpiece, Fire Escape on Smalltown Supersound, Joakim's Norwegian label, which also is impossible to sonically classify or pigeonhole.

The LP was recorded ... crystalized by Kieren Hebden of Four Tet fame. Essentially Hebden -- who "discovered" the group several years back -- asked if Sunburned would assemble in London for a recording session. A four-hour Hebden-led jam ensued which Hebden then reworked, mixed and remixed, and finalized into the full-length form that's now available for purchase. Oh yeah, EYE (from Boredoms) did the album artwork. Quite a collaboration, yes? It's a great, great record: a serene, untouchable culmination of maestro Hebden's ability to work and rework music in a jazz-like, utterly naturalistic manner and Suburned's bizarre, weathered sound experimentation.


Sunburned Hand of the Man - Nice Butterfly Mask