Dig ‘in: Gina Birch, Neon Kittens, The Church
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
Gina Birch - I Play My Bass Loud (Third Man Records LP)
I’ve waited 25 years for this album. It’s been that long since Birch’s fine album Slow Dirty Tears by her band The Hangovers, which came out in 1998 on Kill Rock Stars, a couple years after the Raincoats reunion that produced the underrated (and currently non-streamable) album Looking at the Shadows. Luckily it’s worth the wait.
I Play My Bass Loud is a part studio/part bedroom creation. Sound quality is clear, but is laden with echoey electronic effects that sometimes distract from the song. But the songs are excellent—personal, anthemic, polemical, uplifting, and a bit off the wall. The joyous title track opens with Birch’s unmistakable bass tone familiar from Raincoats albums, but then is followed by 5 other bassists over the course of the track. Next, the doomy “And Then It Happened” rolls right into “Wish I Was You,” a Breeders-style rocker with a guitar assist from Thurston Moore.
Moving between uptempo rock, reggae, and electronic inflected mid-tempo songs, I Play My Bass Loud projects a proud strength alongside a winning vulnerability. Birch isn’t a storyteller—she’s not metaphorical but blunt and direct, and her vociferously pro-feminist stance is treated with both gravity and humor. In “Feminist Song” she sings “When you ask me if I’m a feminist, I say why the hell should I not be?” And from the song “Pussy Riot”: “Some people think we’re trouble / Dangerous, profane / But we are doing our best / To be free, wild, sane.” Words to live by. -Jon Ginoli
Neon Kittens - No Drugs Required (Metal Postcard Records LP)
On the opening track, “451,” Nina K from York’s Neon Kittens wastes no time getting down to business when she proclaims: “I just don’t have / a word to say / the thought police came / and took them away / burnt my bridges / burnt my books / set fire to my dreams / drove away in their fire trucks / in their fire trucks.” The group’s detached delivery echos their take on an impersonal, alienating universe. Guitarist Andy Goz serves as songwriter, creating dystopian tales that blur the line between reality and paranoia. Neon Kittens marry the jaggedness of post-punk (Gof4, PiL, Bush Tetras) with the dissonance of No Wave and the avant-garde (Contortions, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, Lizzy Mercier Descloux). Their serpentine riffs and syncopated rhythms pair with blasé vocals to create a hypnotic, narcotic state of mind. Doubt creeps in their universe with a trust factor near nil. When the moment arrives to go all in, Neon Kittens are betting on themselves as Nina K reveals: “I am a monotheist / I believe in me! / I am a monotheist / the one god is me and I am god.” -Bruce Novak
The Church - The Hypnogogue (Communicating Vessel LP)
These esteemed Aussies seem to have the extended lifespan of their fellow antipodean, the lungfish. And, like the lungfish, the Church has demonstrated multiple modes of existence. It began life in 1980, sounding a bit like a distant cousin of energetic American indie rockers, such as R.E.M. But starting with the band’s 1988 U.S. breakout record, Starfish, the Church began shifting to more languid songs bathed in a hazy shimmer of guitar harmonics that can evoke a kind of modern psychedelia or an understated prog.
Album number 26 (!!!), The Hypnogogue, doesn’t really mess with that trademark, often beguiling sound. Bathed in reverb and draped in heavily sustained guitars, there’s a cathedral-like vibe throughout the record. The title cut is classic Church. A gently chiming guitar figure kicks off the track, and as the rest of the band enter, they slow-build a dark, propulsive energy as an aurora borealis of minor key guitar lines glitters over Steve Kilbey’s subtly intense singing. “Aerodrome” is a sunnier, mid-tempo acoustic strummer with a charming swing-and-sway chorus, while “Albert Ross” offers a lovely, all-acoustic, pastoral interlude. If there’s a flaw in some of the Church’s more recent work, it’s that sometimes the songs are heavier on atmosphere than on memorable hooks, and there are some of those moments on this lengthy record (see “Antarctica,” “Succulent” and “Ascendence”). But tunes like the brooding, proggy, string-and-synth drenched “Thorn” and the brighter, airier, hook-y lilt of “I Think I Knew” give The Hypnogogue enough freshness and quality to reward longtime fans. -Rick Reger
UPCOMING
Cory Branan
Where: Golden Dagger / Directions
When: March 17, 7:30 PM
Memphis singer-songwriter Cory Branan put out a great new record last year, When I Go I Ghost. He’s a talented guitar player and singer and the new songs veer towards the rock end of the spectrum. “When In Rome, When In Memphis” definitely kicks some ass. But he can also get tender with songs like “Pocket Of God” or poppy with “One Happy New Year.” And he’s got more than 20 years of songs in his repertoire—including 3 great albums that came out on Bloodshot Records. Generally his shows are loose and intimate and he’s not afraid to share his personal struggles with the audience. And he’ll usually throw a couple requests into the set. The Golden Dagger will be a great venue for this one. -Tom Novak
Ovef Ow
Where: Cole’s / Directions
When: March 23, 10:00 PM
It takes some gumption to catch a wave in Chicago. Those hardy souls who do so typically navigate Lake Michigan in the fall, winter or early spring when wind patterns are most conducive to generating sufficient water turbulence. Full body wetsuits aren’t optional for this kind of endeavor. While surf music is intextricably tied to its California origins, the midwest has produced some notable takes with Minneapolis’ the Trashmen spawning “Surfin’ Bird” and South Bend’s the Rivieras penning “California Sun.”
Chicago’s Ovef Ow dip their toes in the water for a contemporary take on surf and garage music. The tag-team vocals of bassist Marites Velasquez and drummer Sarah Braunstein reflect the bite and buoyancy of Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson. Nick Barnett dishes the driving guitar tones and Kyla Denham’s synths capture a sixties vibe. Lyrically, Ovef Ow deliver a less than sunny forecast—“Hootie Hottie” sends an anti-violence message and “Host” rages against the anti-abortion movement. On the lighter side, “The Whistler” appears to be a shout-out to the Logan Square watering hole with it’s refrain of “Ooooooh…SAZERAC!” Their first full-length LP, Vs. The Worm, is due in August, so expect a few new numbers to grace the set list this time out. -Bruce Novak
Kelley Stoltz
Where: SPACE / Directions
When: March 29, 6:30 PM
Having contributed sitar and shruti box to the track “The Feathery Serpent God” on Robyn Hitchcock’s recent wonderful Shufflemania! LP, Kelley Stoltz now finds himself both opening and providing back-up for the surrealist icon. Stoltz has fashioned a lengthy solo career as well, and collaborated with a host of other musicians (including a stint as rhythm guitarist for Echo & the Bunnymen). Most of his output has been created out of his San Francisco home studio, with Stoltz often providing all the instrumentation. That versatility extends to his palette of pop stylings; jangle, baroque, psych, glam and orchestral have all surfaced throughout his recorded output. Parsing his extensive catalog frequently reveals unknown nuggets and should’ve-would’ve-could’ve been hits. There’ll be earworms aplenty between these two artists who know their way around a hook and melody like the rest of us know the back of our hands. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Frisbie - The Subversive Sounds of Love (Hear Diagonally Records LP)
Steve Frisbie and Liam Davis had a fortuitous introduction to each other while performing separately at a “Hoot Night” musical revue at Schubas that was curated by Poi Dog Pondering’s Susan Voelz. Shortly thereafter Davis was brought in as a lead guitarist and vocalist into Frisbie’s existing band that was soon rechristened under his name. Sharing a fondness for the Beatles and Big Star, the pair fit like hand in glove due to their harmonizing talents.
Their 2000 debut, The Subversive Sounds of Love, is loaded with addictive tunes that Frisbie describes as progressive power pop. Davis revealed that he would constantly challenge himself to write a song better than Matthew Sweet’s “Evangeline.” I dare say there are a number of tracks on TSSOL that reside in that territory. His vocals maintain a yearning soulfulness that pairs seamlessly with Frisbie’s higher register. Original drummer Zack Cantor also played an integral role in the band as a third songwriter and vocalist, but departed after this album due to a bipolar condition. With a new line-up surrounding Davis and Frisbie, the group released the treasured New Debut in 2007, and have teased about an upcoming third album release. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: