Dig ‘in: Sun Dial, Slow Pulp, The American Analog Set
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
Sun Dial - Messages From The Mothership (Sulatron Records LP)
This on-again, off-again vehicle for British guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Gary Ramon first made an impact in the late 1980s with Other Way Out, a collection of catchy, heavily psychedelic rockers that turned more than a few heads (in every sense of that word!). A slightly later high watermark, Acid Yantra, from 1995, boosted the hard rock vibe in Sun Dial’s oeuvre while still nodding in a deeply lysergic direction. Since then Ramon and Sun Dial have alternately explored instrumental electronica, straight ahead guitar-pop and Hendrix-y hard-rock, to the occasional bewilderment of some fans.
But Messages From The Mothership is a stirring, vibrant return to the band’s psychedelic rock roots, and fans of Other Way Out will be delighted! The disc kicks off with the aptly titled “Echoes All Around,” which vividly recalls the early Sun Dial classic “Exploding in Your Mind,” with its Leslie-warped lead vocals and fuzz-laced axe work. Similarly, “New Day” entwines the listener in sinewy Farfisa organ lines and heavily reverbed wah-wah guitar leads that ooze the 1960s. Elsewhere on the disc “Edge Of Light” evokes the chug-y drone of mid-70s Hawkwind, while “Look Up To The Skies” definitely has the DNA of Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” in its musical genome. If you love early Sun Dail or the neo-psych of outfits like the Bevis Frond and Plasticland, Messages From The Mothership will deeply resonate with you! -Rick Reger
Slow Pulp - Yard (Anti- LP)
Slow Pulp’s recent ascent with a sold out headline gig at Thalia Hall is fairly remarkable when I think about purchasing their self-released EP Big Day four years ago at a Scubas Tavern gig. The band had moved to Chicago from Madison prior to then but the origins of Yard were formed when Emily Massey began constructing the album’s songs while hunkered down over winter at a friend’s cabin in northern Wisconsin. There’s a conversational tone and relatability to her missives that supply the connective tissue to the band’s widening audience. On the title track which functions as an apology to her younger sister for her past neglect, she remarks “They put the house for sale sign up / Did you know that I card that much / Tell my sister that she’s good enough / For me.” And on “MUD” she laments “I know I’m not where I said what I’ve been / Getting older but I still play pretend / I don’t want this to end / I’m stuck in it again, again.”
Slow Pulp was born out of a friendship forged between guitarist Henry Stoehr and drummer Teddy Matthews at an early age long before playing music became an aspiration. It was until the age of ten when they came across future bassist Alex Leeds while taking music lessons that there would be any inkling of what was to come. Massey was the last to join as rhythm guitarist and has been influential in the band’s ongoing trajectory. As such, Slow Pulp come across as committed to preserving their unique bond versus coming out on top. It’s a dynamic that’s apparent listening to Yard and one that should continue to serve them well as time passes. -Bruce Novak
The American Analog Set - For Forever (Hometown Fantasy LP)
The American Analog Set is one of my favorite bands, and one that I don’t feel like got their due during their initial run (1995 - 2005). Andrew Kenny and the rest of the band crafted warm slowcore indie rock that hit just the right place for me. Their music has soundtracked so much of my adult life even including a prominent place on my wedding playlist! I was devastated when they originally broke up but eventually was buttressed by the fact that Andrew Kenny continued to put out music in his new band The Wooden Birds. I was lucky enough to see The Wooden Birds play at The Hideout in the summer of 2011, and they even played my favorite AmAnSet song “Aaron & Maria” during their set. Then, The Wooden Birds went silent, not releasing any music after 2011. Despite my best efforts over the years, I could not locate any news about Andrew Kenny’s comings and goings. I kid you not, I scoured the internet just about every six months hoping for news that one of my favorite bands was once again making music together, and on October 18th news came out that not only was AmAnSet back together, but they had a new album coming out, their first in 18 years, on October 27th. Dear reader, I’d love to tell you I played it cool, but that would be a lie. I lost my mind! I pre-ordered the album the second I could and devoured the two singles they were gracious enough to release.
My friends were back! It turns out that the band has been back together and playing new music in Kenny’s garage for years, so the idea that they finally felt it was time to put out new music meant it had to have been worthwhile. For those of you who were already fans of AmAnSet, this album has touchstones of their previous work, while still pushing and evolving their sound. The warm keys are still ever present, as featured on “Konika & Maliko,” and Kenny’s voice sounds just as good as it sounded on their last album, Set Free. Those new to the band will enjoy the more propulsive angrier sound the band harnesses like on the second track “Screaming For Vengeance.” There is the jammy 12-minute epic “For Forever” that isn’t in a hurry to lull you into its trance, but once you are there, you won’t want to leave. In my opinion, they save their best song for last, “Mountain” does what my favorite AmAnSet songs do, and that’s perfect synergy amongst the band—warm keys, and impressive interplay, all leading to the surging chorus. All of this is to say that the wait was definitely worth it. I’m just hopeful my friends keep playing together and give us some more music when the time is right. -Mark Joyner
UPCOMING
alexalone
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
When: November 17, 10:00 PM
Beginning as a solo project for Alex Peterson, touring bassist for Austin’s Hovvdy, alexalone branched out as a full band for their 2021 debut album release ALEXONEWORLD. That record featured Sam Jordan, Mari Rubio, and Lomelda’s Hannah Read and Alex Hulett. By time the next record, ALEXONE TECHNICAL RESEARCH, appeared this fall, the band was down to a trio of Peterson, Jordan and Hulett. Peterson’s songwriting touches on their struggle with gender dysphoria. There’s an eclectic dynamic at play here—a bit of pop flourish, shoegaze atmospherics and metallic crunch. Peterson is at turns downtrodden and defiant, always emoting with their heart on their sleeve. The band’s diverse catalog portends a healthy dose of variety and a degree of suspense on what song selections to expect. -Bruce Novak
Dianogah
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
When: November 25, 9:00 PM
After gigging only sporadically since 2008, Dianogah is assembling for this performance in conjunction with a set of vinyl reissues of their catalog being put out by the Minneapolis-based Landland Colportage label. Formed as a trio in 1995 with dual bassists Jay Ryan and Jason Harvey along with drummer Kip McCabe, Dianogah eschewed typical rock conventions and found their comfort zone with intertwined syncopated structures, mostly of the instrumental variety. McCabe’s shifting and stutter drum patterns capture to spirit of Minutemen’s George Hurley and the band plays their own version of scientist rock—experimenting and probing for unique discoveries. On later albums Millions of Brazilians (2002) and Qhnnnl (2008), Dianogah broadened their palette with the inclusion of guest musicians such as John McEntire (who also engineered), Rachel Grimes, Mark Greenberg, Andrew Bird, Billy Smith and Stephanie Morris. One of the group’s earliest shows took place at Empty Bottle and so this has the makings of a grand homecoming for all involved parties. -Bruce Novak
Sonny Falls
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
When: December 2, 9:00 PM
Sonny Falls is the opener for a stacked lineup that includes Detroit dynamo Stef Chura and Toronto satirists Kiwi Jr. Ryan “Hoagie Wesley” Ensley, a presence on the Chicago indie music scene over the past decade, started to widen his music vocabulary after the original core of Sonny Falls fell apart after 2018’s Some Kind of Spectre album. Free to pursue other tangents, Ensley started collaborating with a host of other musicians, including the likes of Sen Morimoto and Finom’s Macie Stewart. What followed was an ambitious double LP, All That Has Come Apart/Once Did Not Exist, that ranged from sparse acoustic musings to fuller-sounding creations flecked with strings and horns. With 2022’s Stoned, Beethoven Blasting, Sonny Falls paired back to a trio with Dave Satterwhite on drums and Ryan Smith on bass but now they’ve doubled in size and signed with Earth Libraries for a new record due out in March. Ensley’s common man insights continue to inform his songwriting as he balances scraping out a living while pursuing his rock ‘n’ roll dreams. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Bedhead - 1992-1998 (Numero Group compilation)
Bedhead is an apt name for the Texas quintet whose music maintained a leisurely pace and revealed itself in layers with subtle shifts and gestating build-ups. Originating from Wichita Falls, two hours northwest of Dallas, the band was started by brothers Matt and Bubba Kadane, who were exposed to music at an early age from their drumming-obsessed father. Although Bedhead would eventually relocate to Dallas, it was the barrenness of their hometown that interjected itself into the sparsity of their music.
Defined by the three guitar line-up of the brothers Kadane and Tench Coxe, the band could mix tones and textures or go all in with a maelstrom of noise. Vocals were usually hushed, though not buried in the mix, and lyrically existential thoughts pervaded. The excellently-archived Numero box set is comprehensive, collecting all the band singles, EPs, a few outtakes and three studio albums. Later job commitments compelled various group members to disperse to different parts of the country, which ultimately led to a shutdown following the final album, Transaction De Novo, in 1998. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: