Dig ‘in: FACS, Michigander, The Moles
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
FACS - Wish Defense (Trouble In Mind LP)
Through six studio albums, FACS have developed a distinct legacy among Chicago’s rich history of punk-influenced music. One unforeseen footnote is that Wish Defense would become the last ever project that Steve Albini worked on prior to his sudden passing. While FACS had recorded nearly all their albums at Electrical Audio, it wasn’t until a preceding session for their 2024 Sub Pop single that they enlisted Albini to engineer. With nearly all the tracking completed for Wish Defense at that fateful moment, the band turned to longtime cohorts Sanford Parker and John Congleton to bring the project to completion.
Brian Case regularly constructs FACS’ records around an overall theme, and his inspiration for Wish Defense came from reading Naomi Klein’s Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World in which her mistaken identity to fellow author Naomi Wolf compelled her to examine the effects of misinformation and distorted reality. For Case this also meant trying to discern his true self from his outside-influenced identity (a similar process that Albini undertook in examining his edgelord persona). On the title track, he struggles to move past his “abject self” and reliance on “a public performance.” The sonic maelstrom generated by the band (including a reunited Jonathan Van Herik on bass and Noah Leger on drums) accentuates the state of confusion and unease. “Desire Path” plays out like a tug of war with Case’s guitar veering off in one direction and the rhythm section pulling in another. “Sometimes Only” declares an impasse on a splintered society: “In a passive era / From a broken state / They made you / Chose a side,” laments Case. It’s hard to feel whole when the goodness of one’s heart has been ripped out of you. -Bruce Novak
Michigander - S/T (Totally Normal Records LP)
Friend of the pod Peter Jesperson sings Michigander’s praises, so if you’ve never heard of them, that is quite the stamp of approval. Michigander is the brainchild of Jason Singer, and the road to their first LP has been well traveled. Singer started putting out music as Michigander back in 2016, and a steady flow of singles and EPs have preceded this full length. Michigander shows serious chops—the dude knows his way around hooky choruses and poppy indie rock production. The album opens with “Broadcast” a song about seeking answers as to where you stand with a crush and dreaming of a future together backed by a glitchy synth piano-assisted track. Singer’s guitar playing is highlighted by the raucous early single “Giving Up” where he unleashes a blistering solo after his hooky lyrics and vocals have laid the foundation. “Spitting Image” truly shines a light on how strong Singer’s lyrics are. The song tells the story we can all likely relate to; drifting away from people you were once close to. Again, the lyrics are perfectly matched with strong indie rock, an earworm of a chorus, and a soaring vocal performance. This album is comprised of songs that I just know would slay live. They’re the kind of band that would have killed a mid-afternoon set on the Blue Stage at Pitchfork. I hope we get rewarded with a local tour date from them soon. -Mark Joyner
The Moles – Composition Book (Splendid Research LP)
Composition Book holds true to its title, offering scattershot observations and unvarnished sounds from the inquisitive mind of Australian transplant Richard Davies. Leisurely recorded on an iPad over a span of a couple years at his Cape Cod home afforded Davies time to focus on his songwriting and guitar playing without the constraints of a ticking studio clock. The parallels to Robert Pollard (who released Composition Book on his recently launched Splendid Research label) are notable—both artists were late starters, already into their mid 20s when they first surfaced with their namesake bands and each of them favors pithy, truncated pop songs full of catchy hooks. When they hooked up to collaborate on the Jar of Jam Ton of Bricks record (2009) under the the moniker of Cosmos, it seemed fait accompli.
Of course, Pollard is vastly more prolific in terms of output, not surprising considering Davies’ trial attorney occupation. On the album’s opener, “Feel Like a Dollar,” he boldly announces his reemergence (following 2018’s Code Word), offering: “They said I disappeared / But I’m still here.” “Lost Generation” updates the Who’s “My Generation” by replacing the defiance of the original with disorientation and displacement of a new offspring trying to find to find their voice. Davies reaches back into the past to mine “Tragedy” and “Had To Be You” from The Bats’ classic Daddy’s Highway album with a reverence that preserves the tenderness and emotional reach of Robert Scott’s compositions. “Rattlesnakes, Vampires, Horse Tribes and Rocket Science” is resplendent with witty wordplay and the rollicking “Alvin Hollis” is an endearing eccentric character study. Davies pays tribute to Chuck Berry and Bob Dylan with the closing track, “Promised Land,” retracing his journey from Australia to the U.S. in 1992. Arriving the day before the Rodney King LA riots broke out, Davies, like Berry and Dylan before him, weighs in on the myth of a better future versus reality, navigating a path of broken dreams while knowing there’s no turning back. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Toadvine
Where: Color Club / Directions
When: February 22, 8:00 PM
After their respective Columbus, Ohio bands had resettled in Chicago, Jesse Cheshire (the Roof Dogs) and Tristan Huygen (the Bascinets) teamed up to pay tribute to their love for authentic country music with the formation of Toadvine. As the endeavor progressed, the pair recruited more of their existing bandmates (Andrew Marczak and Trevor Joellenbeck) for what is now a crack six-piece ensemble. A couple of EP releases highlight their deft songwriting skills and golden voices. In keeping with tradition, a few covers are offered up—a sumptuous reading of Gram Parsons’ “She” and a squalling take on Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down.” Some of their live performances have been in celebration of Hanks Williams and The Byrds, but there’s plenty of original content to satiate an alt-country appetite with even more on the way via a full-blown album planned for later this year. -Bruce Novak
Trupa Trupa
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
When: February 25, 9:00 PM
Enduring a history littered with isolationism, Poland was squeezed by the cradle of fascism and the totalitarian reach of the communist bloc. After recently dispatching the Law and Justice Party after eight years of right wing rule, there’s a wealth of insight to be gained from the music of Gdańsk-based Trupa Trupa. As a renowned poet, vocalist Grzegorz Kwiatkowski has a way with messaging that sidesteps sloganeering for a deeper dive into the vicissitudes of repressive society. “Never Forget” from their 2017 album Jolly New Songs cautions against letting ignoble history repeat itself—a warning that’s currently being tested by disinterest and disinformation. Trupa Trupa’s post-punk deserves to be put to memory because ignoring the obvious is a dangerous position to be put in. -Bruce Novak
Model Living
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
Cole’s Bar / Directions
When: February 25, 9:00 PM
March 1, 10:00 PM
Model Living champion a minimalist aesthetic that calls to mind the UK pioneering label Factory Records. The graphics for the Chicago band’s recent digital releases, Alignment and Agreement, favor two-tone color blocking and structured typography. That appearance is reflected in Model Living’s music, which is anchored by crisp rhythms, clipped deliveries and wary social observations. The musings of vocalist Geoff Daniels land between free association and sloganeering—his delivery culled from the ranks of Mark E. Smith (The Fall) and Joe Casey (Protomartyr). Like those artists, Model Living deploy a good deal of structure and reputation but with enough tonal variance to head off redundancy. Songs like “Record Strength” and “Manpower Group” come across as heavy-hitters, highlighting the lacerating fretwork of Jay Martinez. “Turning” and “Hailhead” show a band capable of pulling back the reins, revealing the deft touch of the rhythm section (comprised of brothers Matt and Nico Ciani) and a more pliable delivery from Daniels. There’ll be an opportunity for an upcoming twofer viewing as Model Living start their week in support of Trupa Trupa at the Bottle before moving on to headliner status at Cole’s later down the road. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Cosmos - Jar of Jam Ton of Bricks (Happy Jack Rock Records LP)
The idea of uniting two iconoclastic pop tunesmiths together for a shared project is always a loaded endeavor. Expectations frequently outweigh results when judged against the artist’s peak efforts. But viewed in a lesser light these excursions can function as pleasant diversions—which is where Jar of Jam Ton of Bricks lands for me.
As an admirer of The Moles, the Australian indie pop band fronted by Richard Davies, GBV’s Robert Pollard took an opportunity to collaborate with Davies, who had released a trio of sublime yet largely unheralded solo records post-Moles, but had been out of the public eye for almost a decade when this opportunity arose. Davies had settled in the Boston area for some time then and recruited local musicians Dave Mineham (The Neighborhoods), Malcom Travis (Kustomized, Sugar) and Jabe Beyer (The Benders) to assist with backing tracks, which were then sent over to Pollard in Ohio. A majority of the tracks ended up featuring Pollard on lead vocals, but four of the songs remained intact with Davies being the featured performer. The vibe is low-key and slapdash; a blend of acoustic ballads, left-field instrumentals and rock-forward anthems. Out of the creative chaos, some nuggets emerge: “Nude Metropolis” saunters and sways, Davies rises up triumphant on “Grapes of Wrath,” Pollard embodies a soulful high plains drifter for “Zeppelin Commander” and “The Neighborhood Trapeze” is bouncy and joyful as its name would suggest. The album’s title surfaces in a line from “Westward Ho,” which contrary to its directional directive leaves an uncertainty as to where things will eventually lead, opening up a whole host of possibilities for endless adventure. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: