Easter Everywhere (studio album) by 13th Floor Elevators

From jwammo12 07/07/2021 14:14

Less raucous than the debut, and production seems worse. Still pretty great

From mdbaxter 08/19/2020 14:38

This is really good pyschedelia from one of the groups that are most well-versed in the genre. It's a relatively easy listen highlighted by electric guitars and Roky Erikson singing, preaching and guiding the listener through the album. It's very consistent and doesn't have any real low points but I there aren't as many amazing moments as I'd like. I miss some of the intensity that their debut had but I still hold this record in similar, if slightly lower, standard.

From Graeme2 06/08/2019 08:22

Stinks of drugs.

From tgarritsen 01/20/2019 21:37

I find this better then their debut honestly. A lot more listenable at least.

Part of the beauty of Easter Everywhere is it doesn't sound like it should have happened. It's make-up is just so strange. Roky Eriksson's eccentric, urgent vocal delivery is at times akin to that of a manic preacher, I've no idea what he's singing about but I do not at any point doubt his conviction especially on tracks like Slip Inside This House and Earthquake. The guy had an influence on Michael Stipe, an influence very apparent on "You're Gonna Miss Me" from the first Elevators record.

The rudimentary equipment makes for some lo-fi recording which leaves some elements of the performance to the imagination, there are glimpses of brilliance in the harmonies and songwriting and your mind is left to fill in the gaps. Even with its harsh sound, Easter Everywhere is relatively easy on the ears.

The album is bookended by two lengthier cuts, Slip Inside This House and Postures, which illustrate the growing interests in drugs, an interest tying in with 'jug player' Tommy Hall's advocation of LSD as a drug offering an elevated (like the band name heheh) state of human consciousness. Following the opening track are Slide Machine and She Lives(In a Time of Her Own) which are arguably the most similar to anything on Psychedelic Sounds of.

Nobody to Love sounds like The Byrds if a crazed man with a musical jug was disrupting a recording but they weren't allowed to stop recording because they were on their last bit of tape so they just let jug guy do his thing.

The rendition of It's All Over Now, Baby Blue is absolutely stunning. The guitars and steady drumming wouldn't sound out of place on a 'Heart Beating As One' era Yo la Tengo track. This show of restraint here and on 'Dust' is what was missing from the debut for me, there wasn't really enough dynamic or stylistic variation.

The interplay between the drums and guitar on the verses of Earthquake is another highlight, in particular the overdriven, open chord guitar strum and drum fill combo just as the other instruments kick in, awww ye. The really brief guitar lick that appears twice in quick succession somewhere after the 1:30 mark is always satisfying and leaves me wanting more.

'Dust' is a testament to Roky's fantastic songwriting, comprised primarily of an acoustic rhythm guitar and concealing some real emotional weight. There's also a part where some precisely played bass guitar becomes more prominent for a moment, maybe a technical error that the levels fluctuate but I always thought that was cool.

The verses to 'Levitation' are pretty ordinary but that chorus has the greatest hook on the album. Immensely catchy.

I Had to Tell You is another acoustic one, with some nice folk harmonies and a melodica let loose in the background for the first half before it's moment in the bridge, on the stereo version it dances around between channels throughout the track.

Postures is unlike any other song I've heard from this era. It's got a serious groove and some soulful, funky guitar. There's an almost motown vibe to a few of the tracks, made most explicit on this track. There's also some fantastic work from the rhythm section.

I think some of the so called 'lost gems' of the psychedelic era are bullshit really, but I love this record. The jug is eternal, the jug is forever.

A completely different beast from their raucous debut. They slow down to deliver a poignant, soulful stunner that will break your heart.

From NoisyBeast 02/25/2014 06:07

Check out the 2005 documentary of Roky Erickson, "You're Gonna Miss Me" for a poignant look at what became of this band's legendary singer.

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