c}{imps 8 my ears

c}{imps 8 my ears is about collision and juxtaposition as opposed to symphony and syncopation. The utter confidence with which Hot Wheels Spaulding plays the “wrong” notes at the “wrong” times amidst somehow having the “right” notes is part of the charm of chimps 8 my ears.

Juxtaposition is perhaps most visible on the 2010 album, “Denominator”, the 2022 album “kindred wind”, and the 2024 album “desert book” which play on fractional notation to feature songs which were all composed with dual musical elements in mind. Much of the catalog of c}{imps features a humorous taxonomy, with many an obscured or personal joke placed nearly within reach of a listener.

The main writing partner for the first four years, jupiter summit, contributed to the direction and sound of the project with instrumentals and vocals, and lyrics which were often tailored to a particular composition by hot wheels which she had found inspiring.

The output over the initial four years was staggering. Roughly speaking, by the time c}{imps had existed for five years, there were 500 songs on alonetone.com which were produced by hot wheels. The ouvre of that time period ranged from live recordings of free-play between duets and groups of musicians, intricately rambunctious loop driven folk-pop, to more stripped down acoustic guitar pulled from the juxtaposition of man and instrument. The use of rhythm is often a counterpoint which creates unexpected collisions and visceral textures.

A decade later, hot wheels has returned to recording. It seems fitting that a musician who began playing without learning, and played as a hermit for eight years before recording, would take a lengthy hiatus only to come back unexpectedly in the midst of a pandemic with a new sound based on the same principles of juxtaposition and composition.

The new c}{imps is recognizable, mainly because hot wheels’ guitar playing is unique. One alonetoner compared him to Jandek, a huge compliment. Despite their similarities, hot wheels is more melodic than Jandek, even if accidentally. Another alonetoner remarked, it’s incredible how poignant an out-of-tune guitar can be.

hot wheels spends less time in the DAW with his new compositions, opting for the juxtapositions within space and time which create unique forms from album to album. There are now two albums which could be considered almost ambient. The most recent album, “Saturday Forever” is a remix of the album “A month in Saturday” processing it through a Paulstretch on audacity, he was able to create a sound which transcends the remix and drives atmospherically at the ineffable.

On the album “New Mexico Library Bus Rock” listeners can discern sounds of Water St in downtown Santa Fe, New Mexico. The album was recorded live from inside a spray-painted shuttle bus, to the chagrin of shopkeepers and the confusion of tourists. One passerby can be heard saying, “that is one weird bus guy.” Touché.

Largely a guitar driven project, c}{imps now ask themselves, how can environment and land be a character in experimental music? How does displacement and disenfranchisement inform an art that does not seek to be commercially profitable, in ways that feel spiritual? Where can softness elevate? Where is the soul of noise?

–hws