Dark Meat : Universal Indians

  Aaron Jollay - Guitar, Percussion, Trombone, Trumpet, Keyboards, Vocals
  Alexis Daglis - Sax (Alto), Sax (Tenor), Vocals
  Asa Leffer - Keyboards, Sound Effects
  Becky Noble - Clarinet, Vocals
  Ben Clack - Bass, Vocals, Bamboo Flute
  Charlie Estes - Trumpet, Vocals
  Chris 'SpiritBird' Bradley - Percussion, Drums
  Chris Judge Smith - Percussion, Vocals
  Claire Campbell - Percussion, Vocals
  Forrest Leffer - Percussion, Drums, Vocals
  Heather Heyn-Leffer - Percussion, Vocals, Celtic Harp
  Jason Robira - Percussion, Drums
  Jeff Tobias - Percussion, Sax (Alto), Vocals
  Kris Deason - Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
  Michael Davis - Vocals, Didjeridu
  Page Campbell - Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
  Sophie Fernandes - Vocals, Bugle
  Tim Schreiber - Percussion, Vocals

Although it is nominally led by singer/songwriter /guitarist Jim McHugh, Dark Meat list 23 singers and musicians in the credits to their debut album, Universal Indians, and it often seems as if all of them are singing and playing at the same time. Producer, mixer, and engineer Asa Leffer (who also gets credits for keyboards and 'beercan') creates a Phil Spector -like Wall of Sound out of a band that boasts basic rock instrumentation plus extra percussionists, backup singers, horns, reeds, a violin, a pedal steel guitar, a bamboo flute, a Celtic harp, a didgeridoo, and ' field recordings .' Actually, 'wall of noise' is more like it much of the time, as the sound picture is filled up in an approximation of an aural tornado -- individual voices and instruments emerge and disappear, but the overall effect is of a giant, swirling mass. Over the top (in more ways than one) is McHugh, whose singing may remind the listener (depending on age) of Richard Farina ('60s), Richard Hell ('70s), or Larry Kirwan of Black 47 ('90s). If those references don't inform, call McHugh's voice high, adenoidal, whiny, and almost hysterical much of the time. It is not as distinct or as prominent in the mix as those of Farina, Hell, or Kirwan on their recordings, and it is often accompanied by one or more other singers. McHugh provides singsong melodies over the musical storm along with highly poetic lyrics that are impassioned but don't make much literal sense. Nor are they easy to make out; without the lyric sheet, one would not know that, for example, 'Dead Man' begins, 'Well the sun and the sand were a-holdin' on hands/And my heart grayed like a cold chunk of lead/Great green monsters crossed the fluorescent sands/And I counted my friends all for bleedin' or dead.' At several points, the dense sound suddenly gives way to individual instruments or voices, if only for relief. The album is dedicated to 'the Holy Ghost of Albert Ayler ,' which is appropriate, since the horns sometimes take over in a rage of free jazz playing. If Ayler had ever made a record produced by Spector, it might have sounded something like this. [The album was reissued by Vice with the addition of three live tracks, including two recorded in Joshua Tree.] ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Expanded digipak CD and deluxe gatefold vinyl feature exclusive, never before released bonus material. LP comes with MP3 download of the entire album. Imagine the Stooges meeting Crazy Horse with killer marching band horns, wailing gospel backing vocals, ripping Eddie Hazel guitar leads, and Albert Ayler free jazz freakouts. Athens' Dark Meat, a 17-piece Hippie Rock fest featuring double drums, boundless guitars, massive horns, strings, and ensemble voices, has been giving earth-shaking performances all over the south for the last three years.