Dig ‘in: Kiwi jr., The Lounge Society, Pit Pony
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
Kiwi jr. - Chopper (Sub Pop LP)
Toronto's Kiwi jr. are back continuing their prolific pace with their third album in four years. One of the greatest parts about this band is their desire to explore new frontiers on each new release. They initially caught my interest on their last album Cooler Returns when it was likened at various points to YHF-era Wilco and the jingle jangles of Pavement. And while this album continues their evolution beyond those bands, it still does the trick. The sound is a bit beefed-up this go round with more synths, and more of a push towards Strokes-ish power pop, as heard on "Parasite II.” Luckily vocalist Jeremy Gaudet's lyrics maintain their Stephen Malkmus-like impressionistic quality and the band can still create the jangly atmospherics, like on album closer "The Masked Singer.” -Mark Joyner
The Lounge Society - Tired of Liberty (Speedy Wunderground LP)
The Lounge Society hail from the town of Hebden Ridge in the county of West Yorkshire. It’s a picturesque region with lush valleys and rapid streams and holds the distinction of being named the fourth quirkiest place in the world by the British Airways flight magazine High Life. There’s certainly a bit of quirk in the band’s music—characterized by jittery tempos, spastic vocals, and an occasional punch of punk-funk via syncopated bass and chicken scratch guitar. “Boredom Is A Drug” chronicles the group’s love/hate relationship with their hometown as they metaphorically scale the chasm of insularity that threatens to consume their souls. Growing up in the midst of Tory rule and Brexit has shaped their youth culture to the extent that teenage kicks takes on an added significance of fighting back against the political power structure. Tired of Liberty closes out with a new version of their 2020 debut single “Generation Game” that places them dead in the line of sight of the ruling elites. “You’re just a cog in their golden machine,” confesses vocalist Cameron Davey before adding “What will the US do to save our souls, to save our dignity?” For Lounge Society, coming of age is no longer a welcome rite of passage when the other side is clearly marked as hostile territory. -Bruce Novak
Pit Pony - World To Me (Clue Records LP)
The debut album from Pit Pony out of northeast UK (Newcastle Upon Tyne) announces its presence with an expansive, but nuanced sound that is capable of blowing the roof off the proceedings, but also dials things back at times to avoid turning blister into bluster. Jackie Purver withstands the instrumental barrage with a powerful and versatile voice that sits front and center regardless of changes in volume or tempo. Her tale of youthful optimism in “Best Is Yet” expresses the perfect sentiment without becoming overly sentimental. The title track hits home the hardest as a love letter to the child that she and her partner, guitarist Garth Purver, are raising. After singing tenderly through much of the song, her voice falls off and fittingly the guitar re-emerges in a frenzy of exaltation. In pre-industrial times, a pit pony was an animal bred for working underground in mines, but unlike their namesake I doubt this band will toil in a subterranean existence. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Mdou Moctar
Where: Thalia Hall / Directions
When: September 6, 7:30 PM
Mdou Moctar has infused the concept of musical cross-pollination with a rare blend of energy, charisma and instrumental brilliance. The Niger-based, Tuareg guitarist-singer-songwriter takes the classic West African tradition of cycling melodies and grooves (made famous by predecessors like Tinariwen or Ali Farka Toure) and merged it with torrid, explosive fretwork that evokes legends like Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. The hypnotic grooves from which Moctar build his songs can sometimes be languid and other times intensely driving, but they are garlanded with alternately sensitive and searing guitar playing that—at its most intense—packs an almost psychedelic euphoria. It’s a trancelike fusion of traditional Saharan music and western rock that leaves a vivid, unforgettable impact on the listener. -Rick Reger
Neptune’s Core
Where: Schuba’s Tavern / Directions
When: September 12, 6:30 PM (all ages show)
There are exciting things happening all across the Chicago music scene right now, but even more so from teen's who are making some exceptional indie rock. Former No Wristbands pod guest Julia Steiner tipped us off to Neptune's Core when we spoke earlier this year, and they do not disappoint. All female rock groups are by no means rare, but it is rare to have an all-teen all-female indie band led by a pair of sisters. Sofia and Hannah Richter have partnered with Jacqueline and Kaitlin Cywinski in a guitar, bass, drum line-up, with Sofia and Jacqueline sharing vocals. Keeping it local, Neptune's Core draws influence from Finom (formally known as OHMME) and Dehd. You’ll find rockers, and you will find some slower jams, but all with a twinge of ‘90s indie rock seeping through. -Mark Joyner
V.V. Lightbody
Where: Hideout / Directions
When: September 12, 7:30 PM
Vivian McConnell has fond memories of her grandmother Virginia Lightbody playing piano for her as a little child, and so incorporating Virginia’s maiden name into her band moniker was a means of preserving that legacy. There’s a lot of elements to V.V. Lightbody’s music that feels homespun; an invitation to sit and listen in an unhurried manner. It’s an immersive sound best experienced without distractions, which is why McConnell recommends listening to the band’s albums through headphones so not to miss out on the subtleties that abound. Those said records have nuance and texture highlighted by a band ensemble with roots in jazz circles. Notable Chicago artists Macie Stewart and Sima Cunningham of Finom have guested on past releases—a connection derived from when they toured with Lightbody under their previous outfit name of OHMME back in 2016. Above everything else, the most striking element is McConnell’s expressive voice that conveys empowerment while not shying away from vulnerability when it comes calling. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Tall Dwarfs - Unravelled: 1981-2002 (Merge Records compilation)
On a purely social level, Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate made for a strange partnership—Knox uninhibited and at times antagonistic, Bathgate measured and somewhat reserved. After cutting their teeth together with Dunedin’s pre-eminent punk provocateurs The Enemy, and followed briefly by their tenure with the New Wave-oriented Toy Love, the duo recorded and performed for over the course of three decades as the Tall Dwarfs. Knox’s Teac four-track tape recorder provided an essential resource for Roger Shepherd’s cash-strapped start-up label Flying Nun Records. In his memoir, In Love With These Times, Shepherd devotes a full chapter to the significance of Knox to the label’s direction—describing him as a “charismatic lunatic.” Freed of a conventional band structure, Knox and Bathgate were able to explore their more experimental and organic impulses using the Teac at times as a field recorder to document their music in simple terms, while also tapping into the creative process pioneered by Beatles masterminds George Martin and Geoff Emerick of bouncing down multiple tracks for a more orchestrated effect. A kitchen sink approach that might turn into a recipe for chaos, but often came out deliciously creative. Comprised of fifty five tracks, Unravelled is a rather deep dive into the Tall Dwarfs oeuvre, but its warts-in-all approach is consistent with the duo’s aesthetic that was manifested through shambolic inspiration and Knox’s offbeat album artwork. When Knox was felled by a major stroke in 2009, innumerable artists rallied to provide support in contributing to Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox, a benefit album organized by Merge Records, including Neutral Milk Hotel’s reclusive Jeff Magnum who surfaced to play tribute with a rendering of the Dwarfs’ “Sign the Dotted Line.” -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: