Dig ‘in: Peter Perrett, Chimers, Wussy
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
Peter Perrett - The Cleansing (Domino 2-LP)
Best known for helming pop/rock greats The Only Ones in the late ’70s/early ‘80s, Peter Perrett has spent the subsequent decades slipping briefly back into and (mostly) out of the limelight thanks to bouts of substance abuse and related health issues. Long viewed as a pop savant who fell through the cracks, Perrett has recently bounced back into view with a series of surprisingly solid records. His sprawling, 20-track new album, The Cleansing, makes a very convincing case that he’s still got it! The opening clutch of songs, “I Wanna Go with Dignity,” “Disinfectant” and “Mixed Up Confucius” all brandish classic Only Ones hallmarks: Perrett’s sleepy British drawl, irresistibly catchy riffs studded with bristling guitars and searingly plaintive lead fretwork. There’s also plenty of variety on The Cleansing, from the beguiling midtempo acoustic strum of “Solitary Confinement” to the faintly drone-y electronic vibe of “Women Gone Bad” to the lovely, string-dappled piano balladry of “All That Time.” There’s even a series of songs about two-thirds into the album that muster the brittle beauty and strung out vibe of Big Star’s Sister Lovers. A surprisingly appealing aspect of The Cleansing is Perrett’s scathing frankness about where he is on life’s journey. Songs like “I Wanna Go with Dignity,” “Do Not Resuscitate” and the title track confront mortality with a simple directness that’s far more effective than flowery bromides or fist-shaking bravura. The Cleansing is flecked with powerful, vigorous tunes that prove Perrett’s storied songwriting gifts have survived a turbulent life intact and are more than capable of delivering. -Rick Reger
chimers – THROUGH TODAY (12XU LP)
Spouses Padraic Skehan (guitar) and Binx (drums) pack a considerable wallop. In the realm of Party Dozen, chimers is also a New South Wales Australian duo that proves greater than the sum of its parts. Both Party Dozen members turn up on THROUGH TODAY—Jonathan Boulet serves as recording engineer and Kirsty Tickle contributes a sax part to the scorching “People Listen (To The Radio),” Binx’s tom-centric drumming has gut-punch intensity and Skehan adds to the body blows with shrapnel-like guitar licks that land with machine gun lethality. “Timber” impels listeners to seek safe cover as Skehan obliterates the surrounding sonic landscape among shouts of “Run home, run now.” The band’s pop smarts come to the forefront on “3AM” with an anthemic rush and opaline vocal coupling from the pair. While Skehan carries the bulk of the singing load, Binx shines on “An Echo,” breaking from the sonic onslaught to deliver a sultry ballad that’s paired beautifully with Jordan Ireland’s guest violin contribution. When it feels that today’s struggles have us merely treading water, on THROUGH TODAY chimers issue a call to fight the turbulence and swim upstream because getting swept away is analogous to admitting defeat. -Bruce Novak
Wussy - Cincinnati Ohio (Shake It! Records LP)
While some great music can be created in a vacuum, not beholden to place or time, local identity plays an integral part to Wussy’s approach. Their heartland rock’n’roll bears the trademarks of medium: authentic, earnest and plain spoken. Wussy wears its heart on its sleeve in choosing to title their eighth album after their hometown: Cincinnati Ohio. That heart is heavy in wake of the 2020 passing of long time guitarist and pedal steel player John Erhardt. It’s fitting that the album art was created by Jon Langford, who has a history of preserving folklore and outsider culture through his punk-inspired paintings.
Cincinnati Ohio opens with “The Great Divide,” setting an emotional tone with Lisa Walker’s examination of loss and picking up the pieces with what’s left behind. Elsewhere, Walker attempts to catch her breath in “Inhaler,” sounding harried and at the edge of exhaustion while traveling from town to town with little comfort other than the sounds of the car radio and the unexpected kindness of strangers. “The Ghosts Keep Me Alive” and “Disaster About You” feature disarmingly lovely duets between Walker and Chuck Cleaver that are accentuated by Mark Messerly’s melancholic accordion accompaniment. Cleaver closes thing out with “Winged” where he councils the distraught to weather the pain because while escaping unscathed is unrealistic, living to fight another day is worth holding on to. On Cincinnati Ohio, the mourning is followed by a new and different morning, providing the distance and perspective that’s required to heal our wounded, but resilient souls. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Godstar Megamax
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
When: December 2, 9:00 PM
Godstar Megamax coalesced in 2021 at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has been growing into their sound as evidenced by their recently released digital track collection Nagano, Piping Plover. Like the release’s collage cover artwork, their material is a blend of ambling instrumentation, bursts of dissonance and interpretative lyrics. The Shaefer Lunt-penned songs unwind leisurely, sometimes spilling into delirium (“Cold Butter”) and other times remaining placid (“Scratch for Scratch”). John Cook’s songs like “Company Driver” come across more tortured, with a paranoid edge that recalls Pere Ubu’s Crocus Behemoth (aka David Thomas). Paolo Maseri provides rhythmic versatility on drums and also contributes to the band’s songwriting. Godstar Megamax have a hunger for experimentation that doesn’t always end in success, but their efforts merit keeping up with them to discover whatever comes next. -Bruce Novak
Christopher Owens
Where: Hideout / Directions
When: December 7, 7:00 PM
Christopher Owens of Girls has not had the easiest of lives. He grew up in the Children of God cult, escaped that in his teens moving to Texas, and eventually found his way to California where he became a drug user. Following this, he formed the band Girls with Chet “JR” White, and they put out two highly acclaimed albums but sadly broke up in 2012. Following the dissolution of Girls, Owens put out 3 solo albums over a 3 year period with the last one being titled after his nickname, Chrissybaby Forever. After years of prolificacy, Owens seemingly dropped off the map. Where had he been during this time? Well life continued being challenging—he was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle in 2017 and ended up being bedridden from injuries he sustained, his personal relationship fell apart, as did an attempted reunion of Girls, JR White passed away, and he ended up homeless.
After all that turmoil, how does someone move forward? Owens did what he’s always done best, remained optimistic, and wrote his first album in 9 years—I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair—easily the best solo endeavor of his career. The first single released “I Think About Heaven” finds Owens contemplative as ever, but seemingly embracing the bigger picture. Getting the opportunity to see Chrissybaby in an intimate setting like The Hideout is sure not one to be missed. Hearing new tunes like “Distant Drummer” and “Do You Need A Friend” in a live setting is sure to remind fans of the best parts of Girls—the shimmering jangly guitars paired with Owens’ insightful lyrics aimed at love and seeing the best in people. These songs are sure to send fans of wailing guitars to ecstasy. Mainly, we should be thrilled we have our friend back making music again! -Mark Joyner
MONO
Where: Thalia Hall / Directions
When: December 10, 8:00 PM
To illustrate the global reach of Steve Albini, Kim Deal pointed out at his recent honorary street dedication ceremony that he had recorded bands across five different continents in his lifetime. His association with Tokyo-based MONO dates back to 2002 with work on their third album and the recording sessions for their twelfth album, OATH, was among some of the last Albini participated in before his untimely passing this past May. For a group renowned for their live performances, the pairing between the parties was ideal with Albini’s ability to document the real-time dynamic musicianship of the band members. MONO’s shifting and epic instrumentals carry an emotional heft along the lines of a symphonic performance or daring film score. Guitarist Takaakira “Taka” Goto composes the bulk of MONO’s music and is in lockstep with core members Hideki “Yoda” Suematsu, Tamaki Kunishi and Dahm Majuri Cipolla. The Thalia performance is part of MONO’s 25th Anniversary Tour that will feature them performing with a 12-piece orchestra and couples them with another long-term Albini collaborator, Nina Nastasia, as opener. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther Sounds LP)
When we look back at our favorite albums of each decade, we tend to think back on records that are monoliths—albums that make bold statements, albums that define the sound of the decade. What tends to fall by the wayside are works from bands that are short-lived, but that crush an album or two. The San Francisco band Girls fall firmly into the camp of the latter, forming in 2007, they released two albums before breaking up in 2012. We are fortunate to have had them, as Father, Son, Holy Ghost was released in 2011, and still sounds just as good today as it did when it debuted 13 years ago. It firmly still resides in my top 10 albums of the 2010s.
Girls blended indie with ‘70s rock and some elements of surf rock into a style uniquely their own while paying tribute to the past. Father, Son, Holy Ghost comes out the gate swinging with “Honey Bunny,” featuring angelic harmonies and Dick Dale-sounding guitars paired perfectly with lead singer Christopher Owens’ soft vocals. This record shows a band exploring their limits, you have the surf rock-tinged “Honey Bunny,” the hard rock sounding “Die,” organ forward “My Ma,” and heroic guitar solos on songs like “Vomit.” The song that always keeps me coming back to this album is “Saying I Love You.” This song is so damn beautiful—from its instrumentation to its lyrics focused on how someone moves on from a past love. I love everything about it, the doo-woppish guitars, the beautiful solo, and Chrissybaby’s vocals. To me, it’s a perfect song. Anybody fortunate, or unfortunate enough to get a mix from me in the first half of last decade certainly had this song included on it. This album is one that I fear gets lost in the shuffle as we think of the masterpieces from that period because it doesn’t have the pedigree of some of its peers, but it is one that surely should not be overlooked. I find myself coming back to it more frequently than many albums from that decade. Do yourself a favor and spend some time with this album, you won’t regret it. -Mark Joyner
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: