Dig ‘in: 2nd Grade, Jim Nothing, MJ Lenderman
Check out what the No Wristbands team is listening to and what’s in our show calendars this month on our latest Dig ‘in.
INCOMING
2nd Grade - Scheduled Explosions (Double Double Whammy LP)
Friend of the pod Peter Gill is back with another strong batch of power-pop-tinged tunes. For those of you not in the know, 2nd Grade sounds like a beautiful mashup of Big Star and Guided by Voices. No songs overstay their welcome—routinely clocking in at under 2 minutes, and like good power pop, focus on longing and sentimentality (right on the nose would be the song “Instant Nostalgia”). It’s been awe-inspiring to see the heater that Peter and the band have been on over the past 4 years—releasing 3 new albums, each better than the last, and a reimagining of their first album (Wish You Were Here Tour Revisited). Earworms seem to come so easily to Peter, and the effortlessness he displays certainly can’t be reflective of the ease of his creative process. You have songs like “Uncontrollably Cool” that sound like it could have been lifted right out of the mid-’60s Brian Wilson led Beach Boys, and that’s immediately followed up with (and I hate to make a second Beach Boys reference, but I can’t help myself) “Out Of The Hive” which sounds like fuzzed out Surf’s Up era Beach Boys. Peter told us in our interview that he likes to play with fidelity when it comes to recording techniques, and it shows through on Scheduled Explosions. This is a band that’s still growing and exploring their sound while remaining just as quirky as ever (I mean who else is naming a song after the obscure 1970s Jack Nicholson movie King Of Marvin Gardens!?), and quite frankly, that’s a super exciting prospect for us listeners. -Mark Joyner
Jim Nothing – Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn (Meritorio Records LP)
Jim Nothing is the alias for New Zealand musician James Sullivan, who’s previously drummed with Joe Sampson in the revered Salad Boys. In his conversion from group drummer to solo artist, Sullivan focused on capturing music in the moment, believing that the first take is the best take. He started that journey a decade ago, recording his 2013 debut, Death Traps, on a 4-track cassette recorder. The genesis of Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn is split evenly between sessions at his Ariki Garage home studio and those at The Audio Foundation performance space. The album title references his Grey Lynn neighborhood in Auckland that served as a backdrop during his walkabouts that he’d take to inspire his songwriting. The songs are temporal snapshots that reveal Sullivan’s processing of life’s sublime pleasures and absurdities. He captures the finite nature of existence (“Hourglass”), the folly of youth (“Wildflowers”) and the elusiveness of pure bliss (“Out of Reach”), all while pulling you in with a warm embrace of tunefulness and disarming directness. The reverberations of Flying Nun-styled kiwi pop are ever present. “Raleigh Arena” could be the spiritual descendent of the Stephen track “Tape Machine,” penned by David Kilgour; each song capturing the giddy pleasure of experiential pursuit. Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn is a mood altering record that searches the soul and tickles the senses. -Bruce Novak
MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks (ANTI- Records LP)
MJ Lenderman has been on a fucking roll. Boat Songs in 2022 was a huge breakthrough and his duet with Katie Crutchfield on Waxahatchie’s “Right Back To It” earlier this year was lovely as hell. And now, the Asheville, NC singer/songwriter has a wonderful new record called Manning Fireworks. Recorded by Alex Farrar at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, this 9-songer is a little slice of alt-country indie heaven. As a songwriter, Lenderman has an off-kilter style, finding unique ways to describe the characters that inhabit his songs. On “Rip Torn”, he sings “I guess I’ll call you Rip Torn / The way you got tore up / Passed out in your Lucky Charms / Lucky doesn’t mean much.” His laid back singing fits the mood so well. “On My Knees” has a very Neil Young feel, especially the guitar solo. “Rudolph” and “Wristwatch” are both great songs. But “She’s Leaving You” really puts it all together—great sing-along chorus with backing vocals from Karly Hartzman (Wednesday), fantastic lyrics and another understated guitar solo. It’s my favorite song so far this year. Although it’s still a ways off, MJ Lenderman will be headlining at the Salt Shed on June 18th next year. -Tom Novak
UPCOMING
Sunshy
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
When: November 19, 9:00 PM
Wesley Park of Chicago’s sunshy has a deep desire to record in a studio, but the bedroom recording that he undertook with Sascha Deng that resulted in their newly released debut album, I don’t care what comes next, is dynamic and well conceived. It’s loaded with shoegaze and dream pop touchstones; contrasting loud & soft textures, bursts of distortion and anodyne melodies. When they ran across each other at Northwestern University’s WNUR radio station, their shared affinity for dense, wall of sound music inspired them to create as a unit. Park’s perfectionism resulted in a lengthy stretch of time mixing their album and questions about how to best appropriate the material in a live setting. To that end, the duo recruited college pal Gwen Giedeman (bass) and brought in John Golden (drums) and Jordan Zamansky (synths/samplers) for stage performances. Sunshy posses a sound that can amply fill a room, and hopefully a growing legion of fans that can do one and the same. -Bruce Novak
Variety
Where: Fallen Log / Directions
When: November 20, 7:30 PM
In a different time universe Richard Linklater might have enlisted Austin’s Variety to appear in his 1990 film Slacker. Vocalist Rhys Woodruff projects an air of nonchalance that places him in the lineage of Stephen Malkmus. Woodruff assembled the group with fellow Borzoi band member Zach Wood, Jordan Emmert (Porcelain) and Nick Stout (New Strangers). Variety’s debut LP, Subtropical, just arrived this month on Very Soft Records. Unlike Borzoi’s astringent punk, Variety offer up a lo-fi, loosely structured indie rock that’s often on the edge of going off the rails. It’s a laissez-faire approach that’s unfussy and disheveled, but not lacking in impact. -Bruce Novak
Ratboys / Ducks Ltd.
Where: Thalia Hall / Directions
When: November 29, 8:00 PM
The friendship between Rayboys and Ducks Ltd. gestated when Evan Lewis and Tom McGreevy decided to travel to Chicago to record the Ducks’ second full-length LP, Harm’s Way, with producer Dave Vettraino. Previously the pair had utilized their Toronto basement studio for recordings, but a like-minded bond with a number of Chicago artists led them to change course this time around. Among the Chicagoans that they collaborated on Harm’s Way were Ratboys singer/guitarist Julie Steiner and drummer Marcus Nuccio. The two bands went out on tour together earlier this spring and are gathering for a reunion performance at Thalia. In a similar vein for their last album, The Window, Ratboys for the first time ventured outside of Chicago to record, choosing to rendezvous with Chris Walla at Hall of Justice in Seattle. Interestingly, both outfits shared musical DNA appears to be converging to a certain degree with Ratboys adopting a richer, melodic direction and Ducks Ltd. incorporating some country-tinged elements. Above all, the needle is pointing up on their trajectories and great expectations await on the horizon. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Seam - The Problem With Me (Touch and Go LP)
The Chicago music scene was having a moment in 1993 when Liz Phair’s Exile In Guyville, Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream and Urge Overkill’s Saturation were lighting up the airwaves. Somewhat lost in all the adulation was Seam’s second studio LP, The Problem With Me. Seam originated in Chapel Hill, NC when Bitch Magnet’s Sooyoung Park teamed up with Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan (as the group’s drummer) and bassist Lexi Mitchell, resulting in a single (“Day of Thunder”) and album (Headsparks) for Homestead Records. Thereafter, Park and Mitchell would depart for Chicago and record with John McEntire (drums) and Bundy Brown (guitar) for their debut Touch and Go release, the four-song “Kernel” EP. Repulse Kava alums, Bob Rising (drums) and Craig White (guitar) were then brought in for the making of The Problem With Me.
Park’s angsty internal monologue was abetted by a turbulent instrumentation backing; rising and falling between bouts of defiance and resignation. Rising’s drumming builds the tension during holding patterns, prefacing the sound explosions that serve as an emotional and physical release. Their song “Bunch” typifies the approach—opening in a state of tranquility only to puncture the quietude with a maelstrom of hurtling noise. “Sweet Pea” summons a retreat, holding out for the skies to clear as the band’s playing pummels the path forward. Although Seam would go on to produce two more worthy albums, The Problem With Me would be its last with original member Mitchell and can justly be considered the apex of their efforts. While the band didn’t break into rotation like some of their peers, they’ve left a lasting impression that transcends the test of time. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: