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Clipd Beaks

Clipd Beaks

Nic Barbeln
Scott Ecklein
Greg Pritchard
Ray Benjamin

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Clipd Beaks

Is CLIPD BEAKS the P.M. Dawn of noise rock?

That's the conclusion reached by singer Nic Barbelin, who adds, "We'll never really fit in.......we've always done our own thing." It's a fitting description of a band that brings innate pop sensibilities and intense personal charisma to a genre typically known for alienating listeners. Where others abuse, CLIPD BEAKS soothe. Their static is far from monochromatic.

The band began in early 2003 in Minneapolis when five longtime friends who played in two separate bands joined forces. Abandoning the guitar-based format of their previous endeavors, they established a thick sound defined by analog synth drones, propulsive beats, and layered vocals delivered in the ecstatic tones of a street preacher. Experiments with lo-fi sampling and the addition of ambient and orchestral loops soon brought their creations to an even higher transcendent plane.

That summer, they moved into a Victorian mansion where they recorded their first record "Gang Caves" and partied with the likes of Chromatics and the Blood Brothers. But before long, this picture-perfect life began to crack. Vilified by their snooty neighbors and derided as "low-born jagoffs" by the Minnesota rock scene, CLIPD BEAKS decided that it was time to spread their wings and commence their migration to California.

Recorded in late 2004, "Preyers" documents the anxiety of five boys growing into men in the strange last days of American Empire, leaving their placid Midwest homes behind to venture into the unknown. Each of the six songs offers a kaleidoscopic view into their collective mind, a sonic galaxy encompassing Krautrock, Factory Records, This Heat, and the KLF, plus acid-damaged raps about Abu Ghraib.

Opening with the pulsing attack of "Nuclear Arab" and its pointed question, "How long will we live inside of it knowing that it's wrong?", the record progresses through the moody, claustrophobic psychedelia of "No Horizons", the aggro dance workout "We Will Bomb You (We Will)", and the blissful shoegazer epic "Messd-Up Desert" before concluding with the atmospheric pop of "Smoke Me When I'm Gone" and its droning mantra, "earth, moon, trees, skies, animals and the sun............I won't tell anyone". Letting go of their fear, with eyes open wide, CLIPD BEAKS embrace the true freedom found in creative expression and community.

"Preyers" is a split release between Tigerbeat 6 and Deleted Art Records and is the band's first for both labels. Now happily settled in Oakland, CLIPD BEAKS look forward to bringing the party to a venue near you in 2006.