Joanna Gruesome will be part of a split EP with Perfect
Pussy. Each group will contribute a cover track and a brand new track. This
will be put out through three different record companies; Slumberland Records,
Fortuna Pop! and Captured Tracks. At this time there is not a release date.
Perfect Pussy will cover a sugarcubes track called Leash Called Love and J.
Grue. will cover a track from I Hate Myself called …And Keep Reaching For Those
Stars. Pitchfork
has all the details that have been released on their page.
I don’t often cover info on mainstream artists but I caught
the new song from Taylor Swift and it is pretty good. Because of this song I am
actually considering getting the record. You can check out the video for the
new song called Shake It
Off.
I wasn’t able to attend the OK Go concert as it was sold out
when I was able to purchase tickets. But, the group stopped by The
Current studios to do a three song set on the following day. You can check
it out the set on their web page.
Eternal Summers are also doing a split single with the band
Broun Brogues on a label called Haus Of Pins. This is a UK record company and
will be put out on cassette probably for Cassette Store Day coming up this
fall.
OK, here we go...
This is the second album from Literature. The album was
released this week (Aug 19, 2014) on Slumberland Records. The limited edition
version of the vinyl is on translucent purple with solid pink splatter. It is
also available as a DL and CD. The album overall has a great sound of the mid
80s indie scene. It is perfect for me because that is some of the stuff that I
liked the most. The sound has been compared to The Feelies, Johnny Marr and the
Buzzcocks already.
There has only been one single released from the album but
there has also been a previously released 7” plus a track that I really like
that probably should be released as a single. First the official single from
the album is called New Jacket. The song right off reminds me of a cool mix of
The Cure and The Smiths. It starts off with a quick beat and long guitar and
80s synth sounds. It is warm and inviting. I am not sure why this track was
chosen as the first single though. It is very pretty but I would have thought
that one of the other two singles that I am about to talk about would have been
selected as the first single and this one as the second or third.
The English Softhearts is the song that I would have chosen
as a first single from this album. The synth flute sound that follows the
vocals through the chorus works better than can be expected in any pop song.
This song is just as beautiful as New Jacket but comes off a bit catchier in
the chorus. It also makes use of the jangle pop sounds of R.E.M. along with the
sounds of The Smiths making this one of those special gems that shines very
bright. This is my favorite track from the album.
Tie-Dye (Your Life) was originally released as a 7” single
in 2012. The version on the album here has been re-recorded and completely
sonically cleaned up. Better equipment means better sound, right? I talked
about this single in Vol. 5
Episode 31. Here is what I had to say, “It is a fun pop track that makes
reference to tie-Dyeing as if it were something fun to do. I don’t understand
the reference but it seems like it is not referring to coloring clothing in an
interesting way. This song kind of reminds me of Black Flag but with a happy
fun feel. It is punk gone happy I guess. I really like the song.”
This is a great jangle/indy pop album. This album is probably
the best of the year maybe even of the last decade or two.
This is the groups first album. It was released on Happy Happy
Birth Day To Me Records (HHBTM) back in 2005. I got a repressing of the album
with a different cover that was also limited to 200 copies. The repressing was
done in 2009. I found out about this group from Odd Box Records. Their second
100 Club series had a single from this group. I hadn’t heard of the group
before but was interested with the name of the group. I looked up their
Bandcamp page and listened to this album. It was funny and fun in so many ways.
There is a lot of talk of sex in pretty graphic ways, if you are an adult
though these songs will be hilarious. They are probably not songs that you want
to be listening to at work though. The album has twenty tracks and none of them
are over two and a half minutes.
There are some great tracks on this album. I am not sure if
there were any official singles released from the album so I will just
highlight some of my favorite tracks. The first track on the album, I like, is
a great introduction to the band. The song smacks of the sounds found on the
60s and 70s opening songs for the Saturday morning cartoons. It goes hand in
hand with the cover for the album. It talks about the simple things in life
that one would like to do with their best friend. I am not as much of a fan of
the chorus with the simple la-la-la’s that happen but the lyrics of the song
are what touch my heart.
The next song that I really like is called Dating Batman. It
is a slower song that rhymes on every line. The lyrics talk about meeting
Batman and dating him. She then goes on to say that things got strange because
he would come back at night smelling like the bad guys. She then goes on to
tell the listener that she broke up with Batman because that was uncomfortable
in a relationship. It is a very silly story that has very good imagery in my
mind.
I really like the cover of the cartoon version of the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song. It is simply labeled TMNT on the
record. To hear a girl sing the lyrics with super indie music in the background
is just fun. With the new TMNT movie just out in theaters this was the perfect
time for me to have heard this song too. They didn’t change the lyrics either.
This version is pop perfection with the right amount of nostalgia.
I like the song Abortion from this album too. The lyrics
portray something that has been happening in this country for a long time. The
lyrics talk about a boyfriend/girlfriend/couple that are both working part time
jobs and can’t afford any kind of insurance who have gotten pregnant. Because
of their situation they feel that their best course of action is to just have
an abortion. I can’t say that I agree with the people that are being talked
about but every ones situation is different. I think that it helps that the
groups’ comic spin on the song helps to get the idea across.
I think that the funniest song on the album is one that
should only be heard by adults. I don’t feel that it is meant for kids still in
high school or below. It is also recommended that the song not be listened to
in the work place. The song is called Dirty Song for a reason here folks. The
song literally and comically talks about having sex and different ways to do
so. The delivery of the lyrics is what I like the most about the song. It also
helps that the music backing the lyrics is a fun romp from back in the 50s and
60s.
D In The P is a silly song also about sex but more veiled
about what it is talking about. It is a short 33 second track that literally
sings “Put the D in the P” in the first half and in the second half sings “Put
the D in the P or the A.” The letters mean exactly what you think they do too.
The last song that I am going to talk about is called Do You
Want It? (The Sex, I Mean). The song directly references the R&B sound that
comes from the likes of artists like D’angelo. The music is programmed drums
with a synth bass line. The lyrics are funny in the delivery with this track as
well. The drummer sings, “Do want it?” and the guitarist replies “Oh Yeah.” The
fourth time around with this the drummer singes, “The sex I mean” and she
replies, “No.” The way that she says “No” is so funny. It makes the song
perfect.
This is a very funny album with some points that shouldn’t
be crossed but they seem to get away with it because of their comedic delivery.
I can’t wait to share more albums from them in the future.
The group recently did an audio session for Audiotree. They
have been on tour and I did get to see them on their stop to my home town but I
had an error in my recording so I did not write about it. I am happy to be able
to write about this live EP that Audiotree have put out instead though. All of
the songs in this set are from their first and only album except one, Dear
Wormwood. They actually played two new songs, this being one of them, during
the concert that I went to. I am very sad that I don’t have copies of those two
tracks from my own recordings but such is life. The group has stated that the
groups sound is rooted in Irish Folk sounds. I would have said that plus a
bluegrass sound but Irish Folk is what the band claims and so they are.
The EP has six tracks with little bits of talking between
the songs. The EP also comes with a video of the whole session. This means that
the download is a very large zip file, just so you are aware.
Because the EP is songs from their first album I will only
be talking about the new song, Dear Wormwood. Sonically the vocals are very
smooth and remind me of something from the soft rock era of the late 70s.
Musically the song is very busy filling in where the smooth stretched out
vocals leave space. There is so much going on at some points that it is
distracting from the song as a whole. I like the song but I hope that the
arrangement will not be as busy in the final mix of the song. It doesn’t help
that there are thirteen members in the band at this recording.
All in all this is a great EP especially if you are into the
alt-country sounds that are very popular at the moment.
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