Troy: The Van Allen Belt Reviewed

[BarryL]

So I get home and the latest edition of Progression magazine (Issue 49) has arrived. That's always good news.

I flip through it, including the 50 pages of CD reviews. And there, on page 144, I see a review for The Van Allen Belt: Lactator Tots.

Hey, I think, I have a copy of Lactator Tots by The Van Allen Belt. It's gotta be Troy!

It is, it is Troy. It's his mad scientist infatuation with Apple's Garage Band software.

So here's the review from Progression Magazine:

THE VAN ALLEN BELT: Lactator Tots
2005 (CD-r, 44:54; Designshed
Style: Post-rock/electronica
Sound: 2 1/2 stars, Composition: 2 1/2 stars, Musicianship: 2 1/2 stars, Performance: 3 stars. Total Rating 10 1/2.

When much current prog-rock exhibits the risk-taking ambition of a gnat, it's refreshing to hear something that is prog but different. The Van Allen Belt is graphic artist/part-time musician Troy Paiva. On his first album he creates a weird world of oddball characters staging a succession of tongue-in-cheek dramas and comedies, over a mostly MIDI synthesizer and drum machine soundtrack. Along the way there are nots to '70s prog, and '80s new wave, but a lot of this zany CD is very modern and futuristic avant-garde, intentionally presented in a low-fi package.

Most of the vocals are by Troy, delivered in a demented talking style, somewhat reminiscent of Wall of Voodoo, B-52s, Iggy Pop, etc. Along the way he gets vocal help from his wife and guitars on "Space Junk" by David Campbell. Perhaps the closest name-drop I can offer is to suggest that if Captain Beefheart or Frank Zappa started today working with PC-based tools, they might come up with Lactator Tots. Unless you're willing to laugh at prog, this should probably be avoided, but if naughty-freaky in the twilight zone is appealing, check this out and do the styrofoam suburban tiki today. (Steven Davies-Morris).

Hey Troy, you rock! :cornut:

How much fun is that? You may be the next Zappa (after Dweezle, of course). Keep at it buddy. :idea:

Now, tell us the rest of the story. Kinda suggests that Progression will review anything, although I note that other reviews received lower ratings than Lactator Tots.

[Dave_G]

Lord help us.

LOL!

Dave

[BradH]

"Most of the vocals are by Troy, delivered in a demented talking style, somewhat reminiscent of...Iggy Pop"

Images of Troy tearing his shirt off and spitting on himself...

"naughty-freaky in the twilight zone"

Dudn't get any better than that, bub.

[BarryL]

"Most of the vocals are by Troy, delivered in a demented talking style, somewhat reminiscent of...Iggy Pop"

Images of Troy tearing his shirt off and spitting on himself...



I know that it's not a pretty sight, but that just about describes my drinking sessions with Troy!

Oh, wait, tearing off his shirt and spitting on himslef happend after he spilled the green curry chicken on himself.

Just jivin' Troy. You know I salute you.

As the Moody Blues sang, "Isn't Life Strange."

Anyway, if you still have a copy of Lactator Tots, it's now a legitimate album and worth your worship. Perfect fare for Easter Sunday morning.

[ForeverAutumn]

Anyway, if you still have a copy of Lactator Tots, it's now a legitimate album and worth your worship. Perfect fare for Easter Sunday morning.

We're not worthy.
We're not worthy.
We're not worthy.

Party on Wayne.:3:

[MasterCylinder]

Thanks for this thread -- this is very good news.

Hey Troy: Did you ever do anything with that "ATOM" thing we did together ?

[Troy]

Wow, you actually READ that magazine?

Wanna hear someting even funnier?

This English reviewer I sent the disc to picked it as the #8 album of 2005. LOL Ahead of artists like Mercury Rev, Kate Bush, Echolyn, kino and 38 other artists in his list. Here's his review:

8. THE VAN ALLEN BELT - ?LACTATER TOTS? (Designshed, www.designshed.com/vab.html, pavia@designshed.com)
The Van Allen Belt is better known to me as one man, Troy Paiva, a graphic designer and amateur musician who happens to be a member of a couple websites that I belong to: MacJams.com and Progressive Ears. On the latter Troy reviews CDs and debates with other progheads, and on the former he posts his idiosyncratic music, and in fact that's where I first heard and enjoyed some of the tracks from this album. To be honest, he's one of my favourite artists on MacJams and I was really hoping that once he got together enough material for an album he'd release one. Well, I'm glad to say that with 'Lactater Tots' that's exactly what he's done. Given that Troy is a big fan of progressive rock, it wouldn't be surprising to hear evidence of that in his music, and indeed there are slight hints of 1970s Genesis and Frank Zappa. But for me Troy's music is unique, not influenced directly by anyone, which is not something I'm able to say very often. Yeah, there's a nod to the storytelling of Gabriel and Zappa, and occasional keyboardy moments vaguely reminiscent of Tony Banks, but Troy's approach to songwriting results in something that is quite unlike anything I've heard before. Troy's vocals also help to keep things refreshing. They're in a semi-talking/semi-singing style, similar to They Might Be Giants, Stan Ridgeway of Wall of Voodoo, and Fred Schneider from The B52s, and Troy is such a great vocal artist that he's able to slip into assorted accents and can seemingly move between creepily paranoid moments and comedy vocals with considerable ease. Troy's vocals are occasionally accompanied by those of Julie Paiva (Troy's wife) and they're rather nice too, reminding me a little of Barbara Gaskin's work with Hatfield and the North/Dave Stewart and Sarah Smith's work with Cardiacs and The Sea Nymphs. They actually serve as a wonderful contrast to Troy's, somehow humanising some of the more alien aspects of 'Lactater Tots'. And then there are Troy's lyrics, a blend of storytelling and William S. Burroughs/David Bowie ('Ziggy Stardust' era)-style stream of consciousness, including freaky but comic references to styrofoam, virgin sacrifices, Marty Feldman, and three-headed sheep. Musical highlights include the distinctive staccato rhythm, cool solos and crazy lyrics of opener 'Space Junk', the excellent instrumental 'Creeper' which makes me think of John Carpenter soundtracks, early Björk (without her vocals, obviously) and Depeche Mode, the cute, catchy melody and tribal rhythm of 'Suburban Tiki', the bewitching vocal combination of the two Paivas on ?Sleepwalk? and ?Styrofoam?, and 'Hyperion' which sounds like the theme to some kind of Wild West ghost story in space. At a time when most prog rock is just rehashing what's gone on before in increasingly stale and safe ways, and doing it oh-so-seriously too, 'Lactater Tots' sounds as fresh as a dasiy, and Troy has thankfully got his tongue firmly in his cheek.
Best tracks: ?Space Junk?, ?Creeper?, ?Sleepwalk?, ?Suburban Tiki?, ?Hyperion Rag?, ?Styrofoam?.

Funny huh?

MC, I ended up overdubbing the hell out of that drum track, but I never redid the vocal track like I wanted to. Recently I had a terrible brainfart and deleted all my music files thinking I had just backed them up. I lost all the GB stuff I had done for the last 18 months. I still have aiffs and mp3s, but my editable song files . . . pffft. Gone with the wind. I lost over 20 incomplete songs and sketches of songs and THAT was one of them. I'm still making musics, but I had to start from scratch.

[Dusty Chalk]

Very nice review! Straight to the top 10, wow!

[MasterCylinder]

MC, I ended up overdubbing the hell out of that drum track, but I never redid the vocal track like I wanted to. Recently I had a terrible brainfart and deleted all my music files thinking I had just backed them up. I lost all the GB stuff I had done for the last 18 months. I still have aiffs and mp3s, but my editable song files . . . pffft. Gone with the wind. I lost over 20 incomplete songs and sketches of songs and THAT was one of them. I'm still making musics, but I had to start from scratch.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was honestly never happy with what I sent back to you -- I thought it was solid, but probably too basic for your creation.

If I can help by sending another CD or contacting the studio, let me know - we always back everything up on a hard-drive or a DAT.

[BarryL]

Holy ****?

Wiped them out? Bad news, dude.

Yeah, that review is a real laugh!!!

In my recent radio show I was talking about how all new prog bands are compared to the old ones as a point of reference. This proves it with spades. Imagine you, the non-musician, having a keyboard style like Tony Banks, etc. etc.

I love it.

I guess you're just being an artist waiting to be discovered. Soon you'll be on your way to the City of the Sun and partaking in the Suit Suite of A&R marionettes. You'll need an answering machine in F#.

Good luck to you.

[Troy]

In my recent radio show I was talking about how all new prog bands are compared to the old ones as a point of reference. This proves it with spades. Imagine you, the non-musician, having a keyboard style like Tony Banks, etc. etc.


Yeah, it's mostly just 5ths, 7ths and octave parallels played on mostly black keys. Check that, it's programmed, not played. It just goes to show, it's not HOW you make it, it's what the finished product SOUNDS like.


Soon you'll be on your way to the City of the Sun and partaking in the Suit Suite of A&R marionettes. You'll need an answering machine in F#.


LOL, thanks Kevin.

Life sends you down some weird paths.

MC, I didn't actually send your the GB file of that song, only wav files generated from it. Thanks tho.

[Dave_G]

Yup. Troy is big time now.

I just sold my copy of his cd on ebay fpr $1,234.56.

Not bad for a cdr, huh?

I knew he had it in him, what with Zappa and Kenealy as faves, you just had to feel good 'ol Poontang Paiva would make it big.

Lets see - been on tv, artwork for Stan, book, now getting reviews in Progression...

What's next?

ABPH?

Sad thing is I have still yet to meet this famous man.

Dave

[3-LockBox]

Recently I had a terrible brainfart and deleted all my music files thinking I had just backed them up. I lost all the GB stuff I had done for the last 18 months. I still have aiffs and mp3s, but my editable song files . . . pffft. Gone with the wind. I lost over 20 incomplete songs and sketches of songs and THAT was one of them. I'm still making musics, but I had to start from scratch.


DOH!

I did that by accident once...using Windows Media Player. It was when I first got my MP3 player and I was tooling around with playlists and whatnot. Well, to make a long story short, it was kicking my a$$ and I got fed up and just deleated all the playlists; only there was this little box checked delete files from computer also (or something like that)...
twern't nothin original or anything serious, just a bunch of songs I was tweaking for a few comps.

But you can edit MP3s (latest edition of Goldwave) if that's an option for you. I have it and have used it to EQ and volume level match my MP3s for shuffle play on my Sansa E140. (BTW: I only use WMP for ripping anymore; I just use windows explorer for loading my player)

[BarryL]

Yup. Troy is big time now.

Lets see - been on tv, artwork for Stan, book, now getting reviews in Progression...


Dave


...it can only be uphill from here! :ihih:

[Troy]

[size=3]
But you can edit MP3s (latest edition of Goldwave) if that's an option for you.

Yeah, I have wav editors, but I need to work on the mechaics of individual tracks, scrub and replace vocal tracks, change keyboard voices etc.

[Troy]

...it can only be uphill from here! :ihih:

LOL

And Dave, that's just the stuff you know about. Just remember, you STILL make more $ than me, believe it. Mama's don't let your babies grow up to be artists.