So, yes. Hippie Cream is the topic of the day, it would seem. I got a copy of their latest outing, In Your Ear, in the mail a few days ago… and yeah. It’s a highly original, yet defiantly lo-fi and uncompromising half hour of what the group might describe as “noise pudding”. The bandmembers don’t really seem to be all that concerned with trying to box themselves into any scene or movement… no, much like Danielson, these cats seem to want to just let the music flow through themselves in the most organic way possible, and as long as the joy they felt while making the records is apparent, then the rest is gravy.

And I really hope I’m right about that last statement, because truth be told, In Your Ear is a fun, yet sloppy mess of a record with nary a reference point in my own feild of musical expertise. I guess you could call it “outsider” music, what with the off-kilter instruments flowing in and out of the get-in-get-out song arrangements and the often silly voices the group utilizes to emote the lyrics, so… yeah, that’s probably a somewhat accurate tag. But really, trying to pigeonhole the group any further will simply make your fucking head explode. There’s only one Hippie Cream, but there’s a million different dimensions to what they produce, like:

“Cuddles The Vampire” - the sixties party anthem that never was.
“Radical Parade” - somewhat reminiscent of a cross between The Frogs and Red Pony Clock
“Beer In My Trumpet” - a boozy, lazy track peppered with sound effects that often usurp the actual song.
“Fire In The Tortilla Factory” - an unexpectedly gorgeous tune that follows two of the most schizophrenic opening tracks thine ears have ever heard.
“Santa’s Sack & Head” - a mellow opening that eventually erupts into a rave-up that’s eerily similar to Bubble & Scrape-era Sebadoh.

I think it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re either gonna fall deeply in love with Hippie Cream, or you’ll violently hate them. However, there’s a lot to love here, so the latter shouldn’t creep up too often. I mean, c’mon… the record is handmade, they pull off eighteen tracks in under thirty minutes, and the guys are sticking to their own personal vision even when that vision is going to challenge the listener’s perception of what consitutes a “song” or “genre”. One could play In Your Ear once a day, every day for about three years, and they’d still hear something new each time in the densely-layered experimental arrangements. The group is worth a shot for any music fan that wants to hear something they’ve never experienced before.

Myself? Yeah, I dig Hippie Cream… even if I don’t always get it. But that’s what repeated listenings are for, right?

Hippie Cream - My Neighbor.mp3
Hippie Cream - Cuddles The Vampire.mp3
Hippie Cream - Freakpie Cineplex.mp3
Hippie Cream - Hippie Cream’s Second Show.mp3

Visit the official Hippie Cream website!
You can even download In Your Ear in full from Oxen Media Studios!