One of my favorite new bands is the Portland duo of Rocky Tinder and Eric Phipps, aka Wampire, and recently they shared their first video for the toe-tapping song "Orchards". "Orchards" is off of Wampire's surprising and and excellent debut Curiosity and the video finds the band road tripping through the desert with a purple, one eyed Cookie Monster-esque character, which is the kind of randomness that makes sense for a Wampire video.
Curiosity instantly became on of my favorite records of the year when I heard it, with it's more retro elements mixing effortlessly with the darker psychedelia and fitting perfectly with the loose song structure that pervades the entire record. Wampire sounds vaguely familiar and yet very unique, which is quite a feat, and often is able to pull this vibe off within the same song.
The group embarks on a tour with fellow PDXers Starfucker and then heads over to Europe for a string of dates, check out the full list at Wampire's site here.
