Dig ‘in: Feeling Figures, Stalled, Miners
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
Feeling Figures – Everything Around You (K / Perennial LP)
Montreal’s Feeling Figures maintain a loose vibe that captures a spirit of spontaneity. Their shambling approach is good match for Olympia, Washington’s K and Perennial labels. Co-guitarist and vocalist Kay Moon describes her songwriting method as “an intuitive, spontaneous, disorderly process that unfolds differently each time.” Despite being a classically trained pianist, her songs connect on a basic level—“Doors Wide Open” is an addictive feminist commentary that she dashed off in all of 15 minutes. On “Swimming,” she examines the effects of perception versus reality with the snarling guitars mimicking the restlessness of the churning sea. Her partner Zakary Slax is partial to a garage punk aesthetic. On the album’s opener, “Co-operator,” he delves into a 20th century Nova Scotia grassroots collective that’s been eroded down through the years by capitalism—his demeanor becomes increasingly agitated throughout the song as he recounts tales of the citizens being shortchanged. That derision carries through to the ending “Social Anatomy,” Slax’s call for revolution that travels along of the path of The Velvet Underground. The recording sessions for Everything Around You actually proceeded those for Feeling Figures’ 2023 Migration Magic album release, but make no mistake, this is a band moving forward in time regardless of obstacles. -Bruce Novak
Stalled - Dust Inside a Dream (Pleasure Tapes cassette LP)
On their debut album, Chicago’s Stalled fluctuate between elements of metallic crunch and atmospheric expanse. “Company Time” is a tightly-coiled number with vocalist/guitarist Jack Curtin seething: “Fewer words (a fickle mind) / Unsaid curses grinding at your mantra.” Come mid-record, Curtin has decompressed a bit as he seeks to disconnect from an existence that’s coming up empty in the shoegaze-flavored “Fields of Gold.” “Eyes Like Saucers” follows in a similar vein, with Curtin, bassist Dylan Flynn and drummer Nate Whitcome riding a groove that gradually escalates to a heightened crescendo. In a whispery tone, Curtin navigates the numbing repetitiveness of everyday life in “Blue Mound” with a guest saxophone contribution from Tom Lageveen amplifying the melancholy. On Dust Inside a Dream, Stalled is exploring a litany of sounds while also searching for their true voice. -Bruce Novak
Miners - A Healthy Future On Earth (Flesh & Bone Records LP)
A Healthy Future On Earth is the follow-up to Miners’ abundantly pleasurable self-titled debut album from 2021. Like fellow Wollongong, Australia residents Chimers (who they’ve shared a split single with), Miners play a streamlined brand of indie rock with an emotional resonance that connects on first listen. On the surging “Game Theory,” frontman Blake Clee is restless and flustered with the zero-sum game outcome. He duets with MFV’s Maggie Fletcher on the disarming “Collapse,” laying bare the insecurities and regrets of a crumbling relationship. Drummer Wilson Harris and bassist Nick Johnson make “Fade” swing with pleasing alacrity before the song ends in a swirling mass of backwards guitar and voice. The album closes out plaintively on “Keep Me Waiting” with Clee’s most effective vocal turn and his well-placed acoustic guitar strumming. A Healthy Future On Earth adds to the superb canon of work that’s been flowing from Australia for decades now. Here’s to a shoutout of appreciation that hopefully makes it’s way halfway around the world! -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Lucero
Where: SPACE / Directions
When: December 29 & 30 (7:00 PM) & 31 (8:00 PM)
If you’re looking for a little bit of Memphis over the holidays, these are the shows for you! Three nights at the end of December featuring Lucero at the lovely SPACE in Evanston will be a treat. I suppose Ben Nichols’ voice is one of those polarizing things—either you love it or you don’t—but I love it! He’s a wonderful songwriter with lots of struggle, angst and heartbreak in his songs—and a lot of drinking. Their latest record, Should’ve Learned by Now came out in 2023. It’s their twelfth album, so they’ve got lots of material to draw from for this 3-day stay. Hopefully that will include a few from their beloved classic Tennessee (“Slow Dancing,” “Nights Like These” and “Ain’t So Lonely” are a few of my favorites). As a wonderful bonus, fellow Memphian Cory Branan is opening all three shows. -Papa Novak
90 Day Men
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
When: December 30 (9:00 PM) & 31, (10:00) PM
The last public performance by 90 Day Men came at the second Intonation Festival in 2006. Although the group never officially broke up, they had become weary of scraping by and sought a reprieve from traveling on tour for lengthy stretches in a van. Eventually band members drifted into new endeavors: Rob Lowe (bass/vocals) began creating under the alias of Lichens, Brian Case (guitar/vocals) received an offer to join The Ponys, Cayce Key (drums) ended up in the metal band Bloodiest and Andy Lansangan (keyboards) returned to St. Louis to care for some sick family members. When No Wristbands spoke to Case on our podcast in the spring of 2023, he said a reunion of 90 Day Men was probably not forthcoming, but “never say never.” The year prior, Numero Group had secured the rights of 90 Day Mens’ back catalog on Southern Records for what would ultimately comprise a five-LP box set titled We Blame Chicago that the label issued this past January. Joan of Arc’s Tim Kinsella curated the 68-page oral history and had first met Case as a student at DePaul University when Case relocated from St. Louis to attend school there.
The span of a decade when 90 Day Men first existed witnessed significant changes in the band’s sound. Their initial forays into post-punk represented by songs like “Dialed In” and “Jupiter and lo” resemble the imprint that Case has carried forth with FACS. Lansangan’s later arrival on keyboards steered the band to a more post-rock direction with prog-based and open-ended compositions as typified by the shifting instrumental “Night Birds.” All of which heightens the anticipation of what the band will resurrect from their repertoire for what promises to be an eventful two nights. -Bruce Novak
Flooding
Where: Sleeping Village / Directions
When: January 3, 9:00 PM
Listening to Kansas City’s Flooding is like going through the sandpaper grit spectrum. There are elements of their sound that convey a gentleness; soothing yet not overly polished. When the trio ratchets up the discord, that shimmering veneer gives way to a palatable coarseness accentuated by Rose Brown’s agonized screams. On “Muzzle” off of last year’s Silhouette Machine album, Brown struggles to be heard (and seen), offering a terse “Don’t ask, I won’t tell” response. “Negative Space” ebbs and flows, from slowcore to hardcore and back again. Flooding steps into an array of genres, but their footprint isn’t easily discernible. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
The Great Unwashed - Clean Out Of Our Minds (Flying Nun Records LP)
At The Clean’s initial peak of popularity following the release of their “Getting Older” single in 1982, David Kilgour became tired of non-stop touring and decided to pull the plug on the band (until reversing course in 1988). Bassist Robert Scott would go on to form The Bats and following months of inactivity, David would be coaxed into recording again by his brother Hamish. Desiring a pronounced break from their former outfit, the pair christened themselves as The Great Unwashed on the suggestion of Hamish’s partner Jenny Halliday. If the record title didn’t already make it abundantly apparent, a cursory listen to the new material cemented the impression that this was indeed a significant departure from The Clean’s garage, guitar-based pop, and a new direction that Flying Nun honcho Roger Shepherd struggled to embrace.
Choosing to record at home on Hamish’s 4-track tape machine certainly shaped the outfit’s stripped down sound. There’s a spontaneity and looseness to the proceedings; a roll-out-of-bed and capture the moment sensibility. A lovely acoustic take of the The Clean’s “Hold On To The Rail” and a psychedelic rendering of their “Quickstep” establishes some former ties, but the majority of the music was written on the spot. David’s stunning solo turn on “What You Should Be Now” is one of the most arresting songs in his vast canon. The same recording approach on “Obscurity Blues” produces a dreamy number with Rubber Soul Beatlesque overtones. Representative of the lo-fi approach, Hamish drums on a cardboard box for “It’s a Day,” with his ominous vocal track echoing the desire to shut out the outside world. Following its initial Flying Nun release in 1982, Clean Out Of Our Minds was first reissued by Exiled Records in 2012 and then again this past October by MEDS / Noise Prints in a remastered version. In an affectionate manner, David Kilgour described it as “a really sloppy album”—a beautiful mess indeed! -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: