“…these guys can’t help but write devastatingly effective pop melodies.”
The Lees of Memory are a Psychedelic Rock band hailing from Nashville, TN, formed by ex-Superdrag members John Davis & Brandon Fisher in 2012. Once drummer Nick Slack came aboard, the band recorded their debut album Sisyphus Says with mega-producer Nick Raskulinecz at the helm. It was issued by SideOneDummy Records in September of 2014, to favorable reviews; Consequence Of Sound said, “these guys can’t help but write devastatingly effective pop melodies.” The songs boasted the kind of keen melodic sense fans expected from the Superdrag veterans, flanked by lush walls of loud guitars. Live performances in support of the record were sporadic at best, but found the core trio augmented by Sam Powers (bass), Josiah Holland (keyboards & percussion), Ethan Luck (guitar & lap steel) and Jason Moore (guitar).
The follow-up album Unnecessary Evil was self-released in 2016, again co-produced with Nick Raskulinecz (this time at his Rock Falcon TN compound), but mixed by new friend and collaborator Mike Purcell, with whom the band has also cranked out a series of non-album 45s in-between full-length projects. The 2nd album finds them stretching the boundaries established on their debut, lacing the crunchy Power Pop they were best-known for in the past with strains of mid-‘60s Psychedelia. Stomp And Stammer called it, “tightly wound, artfully wrought and downright rockin.”
In late 2017, the Lees unveiled their 3rd full-length, this time a majestic double LP entitled The Blinding White Of Nothing At All. Co-produced by John Davis & Mike Purcell, its 4 sides of vinyl are packed with the band’s best songwriting to date and feature bandleader Davis performing on literally dozens of instruments. It is a summation of everything he and Brandon Fisher have learned over the course of their 25 years of making records together. According to Brooklyn Vegan, this is “an established group of great musicians showing how far they can stretch their musical chops and obsessive knowledge.” The band’s live performances this summer will be their first since October of 2015.
Links
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram