Dig ‘in: Café Racer, The Sleeping Souls, Wurld Series
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
Café Racer - Words In Error (Limited Language LP)
The swan song of Chicago’s Café Racer traffics in a similar way to their previous recordings—a heady melodic mixture of indie rock psychedelia that ventures into shoegazey territories and heavier fare, as heard in the instantly catchy “The Wall,” and the slow burn builder “Cannonball,” While their records focus a bit more on the dreamy harmony vocals of “Split” and “Material,” “Words In Error” combines both loud and soft facets and seems a pretty neat summation of what they achieved. A couple weekends ago they played their final shows at Empty Bottle and on the first night, the three guitar frontline attack ascended to levels Sonic Youth would be proud of. Fans of early ’80s L.A jangle (e.g. The Three O’Clock/Rain Parade take notice), while current fans of Kurt Vile/Yo La Tengo/Wilco should also appreciate this wonderful band. The only mystery is how these guys were never signed to a larger label, they deserved more. -Wade Iverson
The Sleeping Souls - Just Before The World Starts Burning (Xtra Mile Recordings LP)
The Sleeping Souls are normally busy on tour with Frank Turner, but they’ve managed to find enough free time to put together a fine new album—Just Before The World Starts Burning. The Souls are joined here by Cahir O’Doherty (from New Pagans) on vocals & guitar and he puts in a strong performance. The results are a nicely polished mix of ’90s indy/alt-rockers (“Rivals”), thoughtful pop songs (“Scared Of Living”) and delicate folky love songs (“Steal Some Time” & “Liar Lover”). Matt Nasir (keys/guitar), Ben Lloyd (guitar), Tarrant Anderson (bass) and Callum Green (drums) are all talented musicians and it’s fun to see them stretch out on their own material here. I’d love for them to find a way to play a few shows in the US, but if not, we’ve got this lovely document of their combined talents. -Tom Novak
Wurld Series - The Giant’s Lawn (Meritorio Records LP)
Vocalist/guitarist Luke Towart of Wurld Series likens psychedelic music to the wonder and innocence of childhood. The band’s third LP, The Giant’s Lawn, is imaginative and quizzical in that sense. Composed of 17 tracks of varying lengths, there’s plenty of pop pleasures interspersed among the endearing tangents and musical left turns. Having grown up in rural northern England but later relocating to Christchurch in New Zealand, Towart has fashioned British psych folk with kiwi jangle in an unforced and intriguing manner. Expanding their boundaries with added instrumentation (mellotron, sax & synths) and incorporating field recordings, the band captures the spirit of experimentation where no whim or idea is outrightly dismissed. The Giant’s Lawn is the kind of record that reveals added layers with each subsequent listen, giving it an extended shelf life and freshness beyond typical cycles. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Braid
Where: Cobra Lounge / Directions
When: December 16, 7:00 PM
When Braid released their third album, Frame & Canvas, twenty five years ago, they appeared to be positioned for a significant breakthrough—with first-time upcoming shows scheduled in Europe and Japan. That LP was their first with the emerging Polyvinyl Record Company out of Champaign and engineered by J. Robbins, whose band Jawbox had been an inspiration for Braid. Financial pressures and differing expectations among band members led to a breakup the following year with their farewell gig taking place in August of 1999 at the iconic Mabel’s club in Champaign, which also met its demise shortly thereafter. As emo flourished in the next decade, the timing must have felt bittersweet for the band.
Faced with the sale of the building in 2021 that housed Inner Ear Studios, owner Don Zientara reached out to J. Robbins to inquire if there was any material that he desired to claim. Among the recovered items were the original tapes of Frame & Canvas, which started the discussion of a remastering by Robbins, Polyvinyl and the band for a 25th-anniversary release edition. All of which leads into the slate of shows that Braid has been playing this year in celebration and now marks phase three of the band (following a brief reunion in 2004 and a part-time pursuit starting in 2011). With members now approaching 50, it’ll be interesting for them to revisit material that was conceived during a period where they were wrapping up college and approaching adulthood. The songs of co-guitarists/vocalists Bob Nanna and Chris Broach have always featured evocative narratives and touch on universalities that would seem to resonate across generations. Along with hearing Frame & Canvas in its entirety, expect a few additional numbers, including material off their 2014 comeback album, No Coast. And not to engender false hope, but the band hasn’t ruled out recording again in the future. -Bruce Novak
Sincere Engineer
Where: Metro / Directions
When: December 23, 7:00 PM
This Riot Fest-sponsored appearance is the official release show for Sincere Engineer’s Cheap Grills album that surfaced in September. The third record in the Chicago pop-punk band’s catalog represents a big leap forward in sound texture and dynamics and their first time working with producer Mike Sapone (Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Public Enemy) in relative isolation at Ghost Hit Recording in western Massachusetts. Bandleader Deanna Belos has benefited from devoting herself to the group full-time, and her songwriting explores the complexities of parsing adulthood while maintaining a spirit of independence. In a podcast interview with No Wristbands this fall, Below noted that she’s doing far less screaming these days—an indication that she’s found a voice that she’s comfortable with and that suits her well. With an ever-increasing slate of club shows and festival appearances, Sincere Engineer’s message is being heard and well received by a growing legion of admirers. -Bruce Novak
Kiwi Jr.
Where: SPACE / Directions
When: December 29, 30 & 31 7:00 PM
Kiwi Jr. are openers for The Lemonheads on this 3-night year-end SPACE residency. Songwriter and vocalist, Jeremy Guadet, twist words and turns phrases like a screenwriter for the Canadian comedy Letterkenny. His librarian background provides plenty of literary and cultural references to the band’s fodder. Their latest record, 2022’s Chopper, laid out a loosely constructed film theme and a depiction of life spent after dark. On a whim, a bevy of synthesizers were added to their guitar pop repertoire for the album that produced effects ranging from ambient to carnivalesque. Kiwi Jr. needle with intent while staying determined to keep you in stitches. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Yeah Yeah Noh - Leicester Square: The Best of Yeah Yeah Not (Cherry Red Records compilation)
In America, the ’80s psychedelic revival was defined by the west coast Paisley Underground movement with its notable participants comprised of the Rain Parade, Dream Syndicate, the Bangles, True West, Long Ryders and the Three O’Clock. In contrast, the English psychedelic revivalists came across as more eccentric typified by artists like Robyn Hitchcock and Julian Cope. Also in that camp would be Leicester outfit Yeah Yeah Noh.
Derek Hammond (vocals) and John Grayland (guitar) initially crossed paths working at a the White Horse pub in 1981 and a couple of years later formed the band and contributed the song “Bias Binding” to a compilation of local acts that Grayland and Sue Dorey put out in conjunction with their Printhead fanzine. Following the release of the band’s first single, Dorey replaced Graham Summers on drums, teaming with bassist Adrian Crossan in the rhythm section, and by the time the band was on to their first album, Tom Slater was brought in as an additional guitarist.
The compilation sources from their singles, EP and LP, along with material pulled from their four Peel Sessions and a few unreleased tracks. Hammond projects a unique presence, with his regal baritone voice and dry wit repertoire. Yeah Yeah Noh’s songs are quite varied, ranging from the caustic groove of “Prick Up Your Ears” to the spry shimmer of “Temple of Convenience.” As the group progressed, their songs only got more hallucinatory and trippy with fantastical tales like “Another Side To Mrs Quill” and “Crimplene Seed Lifestyle.” By 1986 Grayland was off to London and Dorey to Egypt, ending the band’s brief but noteworthy tenure. Hammond, Grayland and Slater did regroup with an updated Yeah Yeah Noh lineup in 2012 that resulted in a new record, Automatically Saturday, getting released in 2015—a far less idiosyncratic affair, but worth a listen for the curious minded. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: