Peter Kris, of the decade-defining outfit German Army, teams up with Tara Tavi (her of many talents, including a stint in Amps for Christ) in the first of what’s promised to be more music from the duo. A Touch Away from the Landfill is four teasers (I assume toss-away tunes from a forthcoming LP by the title, but perhaps there’s a more tongue-in-cheek reference I am missing) worth of goodies. As one would expect if they’ve heard Kris’ solo works, but his guitar is tuned to Flying Nun and Xpressway and is recorded for that same distance and time, and it seems to have sucked Tavi’s beautiful vocals into the spatial vortex as well. Yet, that sound is still relevant, fresh, and oddly comforting. While it seems silly to continually point to the old Dunedin sign as we travel through the wormhole, it’s still a signifier of greatness. And landing at the foot of this duo’s first output is as best a destination as ever. Where German Army has become more metallic and menacing (last year’s Wakhan Corridor is the zenith of this thesis), A Touch Away from the Landfill is almost poppy and light in spite of the aural dissonance. As formerly relayed, Tavi and Kris promise a proper full-length sometime this year via the always surprising Skrot Up, so we shall be looking forward to it.
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