Will Sheff & Charles Bissell – Will Sheff Covers Charles Bissell/ Charles Bissell Covers Will Sheff

Will Sheff & Charles Bissell – Will Sheff Covers Charles Bissell/ Charles Bissell Covers Will Sheff

Jagjaguar, 2008

Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2008

Price: $5

I remember doing a backflip when I heard this split 7” was happening. I mean, not a literal backflip—I’m a schlubby music critic, after all—but a geeky, nerd-brain backflip. Will Sheff of Okkervil River and Charles Bissell of the Wrens are two of my absolute favorite songwriters and that’s not even hyperbole. I think The Meadowlands is a master class in songwriting and still one of the freshest sounding rock records from the last twenty years. Sheff continues to hone his craft album after album and just the other day “Plus Ones” from The Stage Names came on in the car and I made Jenny stop talking so I could point out the brilliance of the songcraft. That didn’t go over well—shushing your wife never, ever does, especially to point out something only you find interesting—but these guys bring out my indie rock nerd. It seems strange that I haven’t listened to this 7” since the day I bought it, the day it came out way back in 2008. It’s helpful that both artists cover standouts from each other’s discography. Sheff’s rendition of Bissell’s “Ex-Girl Collection” is straightforward but dripping with Sheff’s personal affection for the track. “She pours herself a don’t-ask gin/ No ice and light on the bitters/ I’m through with quitters/ Why?/ Cause I found out/ Wipe that smile off your mouth/ I think it’s tell-me time,” is one of my favorite lyrics from anywhere and, as someone who has spent the majority of his adult life dwelling on ex-girlfriends (until I got married, of course), it speaks to me. The storytelling is just so, so choice. Bissell’s version of Sheff’s “It Ends in a Fall” (from Okkervil River’s Down the River of Golden Dreams) is hazy, hushed, and plays like it could be a Wrens track (although that’s mostly thanks to Bissell’s iconic guitar tones, which you can seriously pick out of a line-up). The track has a wonderful crescendo and damnit, more artists I love need to cover each other’s best songs.

"Ex-Girl Collection"

"It Ends in a Fall"

Shearwater - "Rooks" 7"

Shearwater – “Rooks” 7”

Matador, 2008

Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2008

Price: $4

When “Rooks” was made available for download in advance of Shearwater’s fifth LP Rook, I listened to it ceaselessly. It’s a gorgeous, sinister, haunting track. I vividly remember Tiny Mixtapes scathing review of the album, which hinged upon Shearwater sounding exactly like Talk Talk and that was grounds for outright dismissal. Which was annoying, but I know I’ve done it once or twice so whatever. Personally, I loved that record, and its quasi-title track was a big reason for that. I saw Shearwater play songs from the record two or three times at SXSW that year and later in Lawrence when they toured. I haven’t been as diligent with their last few albums, but I still have a great affinity for Jonathan Meiburg and his craft. The performance on “Rooks” is so tightly coiled it almost feels uncomfortable. There’s a tension wrapped up in the hypnotic guitar line that, the heart-gripping menace of the bass, and all the weird stuff Thor Harris was getting up to. The song builds through its first couple verses and casually explodes into horns and chanting without ever losing control. It feels organic and drives right through you and, just like that, it’s over. Maybe that’s why I listened to it on end. It’s fashioned in such a way to be a few seconds short of just long enough. The b-side is a Talk Talk cover, which is more of an experimental clattering of percussion and dissonant guitar tones than a song. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard a Talk Talk song, so I can’t speak to the band’s influence on Rooks, and considering how much I love that album, I’m thinking I should probably keep it that way.

"Rooks"

Jay Reatard/Deerhunter - Split 7"

Jay Reatard/Deerhunter – “Flourescent Grey”/”Oh, It’s Such a Shame” Split 7”

Matador, 2008

Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2008

Price: $6

As the scarcity of the 7”s rose, so did the price, which correlated with a severe dip in my interest. $6 for a seven-inch is fucking insane from a numbers point (That’s $3 a song, where a long player runs about $1.50 a song assuming an average of 12 tracks and ballooned $18 list price). Still, I was committed, having already purchased the first three sevens in Jay Reatard’s 2008 Matador seven-inch series, and even though I don’t consider myself a Collector collector, that was the mindset I was in when I bought this. The $6 for a seven-inch racket exists to woo hardcore collectors. It’s something exclusive. It’s like finding all the gaps in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater or collecting all the hidden flags in Assassin’s Creed: totally superfluous. At least from a music stand point, since when am I ever going to just put on a seven-inch? That’s just me personally, though. It’s more a piece of art than a delivery system for jams. Still, this is a beautiful little piece of art. The vinyl is split pink and black to fit the overall packaging scheme and looks absolutely delicious. Oh yeah, and there’s music too, I guess. Reatard covers Deerhunter’s “Flourescent Grey” and makes it creepier than the already pretty creepy original. Deerhunter covers Reatard’s “Oh, It’s Such a Shame” and they do a really fantastic job with it. Deerhunter has always been one of those bands I’ve failed to connect with, despite enjoying their albums. They bring a surprising amount of gravitas to Reatard’s garage rock banger. I’m not usually one for big, instrumental pieces to close out a track, but the blanket of processed guitars Deerhunter lay down over the last minute or so of this cover is exceedingly pleasant. They steal the show, on Reatard’s own seven-inch, and maybe that was the point. You’ve also gotta love the trollingly homoerotic cover, too.

Jay Reatard - "Flourescent Grey"

Deerhunter - "Oh, It's Such a Shame"

Jay Reatard - "Always Wanting More" 7"

Jay Reatard – “Always Wanting More” 7”

Matador, 2008

Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2008

Price: $5

Pulling this one from its sleeve, I forgot this one was one was on clear vinyl with neon primary colors painted in streaks on the B-side. It got my heart racing! And then the track kicked in and my heart kept racing because “Always Wanting More” is the best. Sure, it was the first track from Reatard’s 2008 singles series that I heard (on a Matador compilation on the way back from SXSW that year) so there’s some sentimental attachment. It was the first song of Reatards that stopped me in my tracks. It’s the purest distillation of what Reatard does so well: big, chiming riffs; barreling garage rock with a pop singer’s mentality; earwormy hooks. It’s super satisfying and relistenable. B-side “You Mean Nothing to Me” borrows the warbly synthesizer from “An Ugly Death” but neglects to channel that song’s spunk. Maybe it’s just the scales balancing and we just have to deal with the series’ catchiest song being paired with its most forgettable.

"Always Wanting More"

Jay Reatard - "Painted Shut" 7"

Jay Reatard – “Painted Shut” 7”

Matador, 2008

Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2008

Price: $5

How Reatard and Matador decided the A and B-sides seems to have been an arbitrary process, because the rather rote garage rocker “Painted Shut” absolutely pales in comparison to b-side “An Ugly Death.” A spooky synthesizer sets a creepy, Halloween-y vibe that carries through the verses and reappears in the chorus to lend the bouncy hook a hand. I just listened to “Painted Shut” a minute ago and I’ve already forgotten what it sounds like, but “An Ugly Death” is one of my favorite tracks from Jay Reatard’s 2008 singles series. Sure, it’s garage-y like the rest of ‘em but it’s the most fun track of the lot.

"An Ugly Death"

Jay Reatard - "See/Saw" 7"

Jay Reatard – “See/Saw” 7”

Matador, 2008

Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2008

Price: $4

“See/Saw” was my introduction to the late Jay Reatard and his immediately satisfying ramshackle garage-rock. Actually, that’s not true. I heard “Always Wanting More” first on a Matador compilation highlighting all the cool shit they were releasing in 2008. “See/Saw” was the first of six seven-inches released in 2008 (“Always Wanting More” was third) and, despite not really buying seven-inches at the time, I was buying scads of records and liked “Always Wanting More” enough to take a flyer on Memphis’s latest musical genius. “See/Saw” is fantastic, and so is the B-side “Screaming Hand,” and really, so are most of the tracks from his 2008 seven-inch series (I have changed my tune since I wrote up the compilation collecting all of the seven-inch songs five years ago, and of course I don’t have it anymore, drag). I don’t know if Reatard heralded the grungy garage rock revival that exploded in the late 00s and still haunts us today, but he was one of its brightest stars and the only one I could listen to without having my eyes glass over. The hooks are just phenomenal, and somehow the production sounds professional and gritty at the same time. It’s a ridiculous shame that Matador released fewer and fewer copies of each successive seven-inch because I bought the first four and it was absolutely impossible to get my hands on the other two without having to do commit some sort of debauchery, which I’d do for GBV or the Hold Steady but not for Jay Reatard. Still, these two tracks are absolute killers.

"See/Saw"

"Screaming Hand"

No Age - "Eraser" 7"

No Age – “Eraser” 7”

Sub Pop, 2008

Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2008

Price: $4

I can’t think of another band from the back half of the 00s who had more fun just tearing shit up for the hell of it. No Age take great pleasure in deconstructing punk, fusing it with noise rock, blending the results, and somehow churning out tracks that are occasionally infectious. Not all of their songs are as catchy and just balls-out ass-kicking as “Eraser,” but with a song this good who needs other songs? The album from which this track was culled—2008’s Nouns—is a fine record but every other song rotates around this one. The build-up and release is pure noisy bliss. Covers of songs by Nate Denver’s Neck, The Urinals, and the Nerves populate the b-side. It was the No Age cover of the Nerves’ “When You Find Out” that led me to seek out their magnificent and tragically brief self-titled four-song EP from 1976, which I promptly played on repeat and on KJHK for months. It’s funny, because No Age’s cover of “When You Find Out” isn’t a cover at all; it’s an instrumental sound collage. Which is heartbreaking because you just know No Age would have tore that song up.

"Eraser" - Still one of my favorite music videos ever!

Mount Analog featuring Karl Blau - "That's How I Got to Memphis" 7"

Mount Analog Featuring Karl Blau – “That’s How I Got to Memphis” 7”

K Records, 2008

Acquired: KJHK Music Staff, New, 2008

Price: $0

Mount Analog is the guise famed Portland producer Tucker Martine operates under, and for this 7” he wrangled fellow northwesterners Karl Blau and Laura Veirs for an absolutely fantastic cover of Bobby Bare’s “That’s How I Got to Memphis.” I’m a fan of all three aforementioned musicians. Martine is one of the best producers in the game (I recently raved about his collaborative work on Richard Buckner’s latest Surrounded) and Blau and Veirs are a couple of my favorite songwriters from way back (Blau’s BeneathWaves and Veirs’ Year of Meteors are near and dear to the old ticker). Did I mention this track is just wonderful? It’s breezy and laid back and it’s the perfect soundtrack for a front porch on an early summer afternoon with a cold beer. Blau’s off-kilter croon is just the best. The b-side is a moody, experimental-leaning tune “inspired by Jobim’s “A Felicidade.” It’s fine, but there’s really no reason to listen to it when you can just listen to “That’s How I Got to Memphis” a hundred times on repeat.

"That's How I Got to Memphis"

That's How I Got to Memphis from Karl Blau on Myspace.

La Scala - The Harlequin EP

La Scala – The Harlequin EP

High Wheel, 2008

Acquired: KJHK Music Staff, New, 2008

Price: $0

 

High Wheel Records’ website states that La Scala has an “old world sense of melody,” which means that they make their guitars sound like Balkan instruments. It also means that they are basically following the path Devotchka already paved and also attempting to lure in some fans of Gogol Bordello. This is the sort of music that sounds like it is in dire need of an accordion. I don’t think it’s a conscious attempt to cash in on the Balkan Buzz of the late 00s, and it’s hard for me to trash talk a Chicago band because us Midwest folk gotta stick together in a progressively East Coast world. La Scala lack spark and unfortunately have the sound of an opening band you really don’t want to sit through. It’s not bad, just not terribly interesting. The band incorporates Eastern European sounding melodies but none of the actual Eastern European instruments. Ultimately, the tracks sound like the bland modern rock of, say, Silversun Pickups. Ok, better than fucking Silversun Pickups. There’s a gothy, quasi horror-pop vibe on the last track (“Draculina”) that illustrates the band’s obsession with “nefarious areas” and “dark corners” of Chicago listed on their website bio. Mostly, this 7” just puts the whole world of music into perspective, because we got TONS of 7”s and CDs that had this sound. Not bad, just not really enough for you to sink your teeth into.

Suzannah Johannes - Suzannah Johannes 7"

Suzannah Johannes – Suzannah Johannes 7”

Range Life, 2008

Acquired: Suzannah Johannes Live Show, New, 2008

Price: $5

 

I totally expected to step into a time machine when I put this one on. Like the Bandit Teeth/Dactyls 7” I recently wrote up (also from the anti-halcyon days of 2008), seeing Suzannah Johannes open half the Lawrence shows was a big part of that time period. The nice thing about Johannes was that she was an opener you actually wanted to catch. You made sure your pregaming was done by 9 and headed down to the Replay to see her play. It’s not like her sets varied too much—it was either Suzannah with her band or Suzannah on her own—but her songs were just so fucking lovely you never got sick of them. As far as I know, this is the only thing she ever released, and I’m fairly certain it was recorded on with the studio time she won when she won KJHK’s Farmer’s Ball (which used to have studio time at the Get Up Kids-owned Black Lodge Studio in Eudora, where bits of this record were recorded). Man, I can’t get over how pretty these songs are. It’s just plain pure, pleasant vocal pop that reminds me of an earthier version of Taken by Trees. It’s a nice slice of Lawrence music before everything got steeped in irony and cool.

"Horserider's Smile" and "Kelly Ann" can be found on this terrific Daytrotter session.

The Dactyls/Bandit Teeth - Split 7"

The Dactyls/Bandit Teeth – Split 7”

Self Released, 2008

Acquired: Crossroads Music, Used, 2013

Price: $2

 

Of COURSE I found a split featuring two Lawrence bands in a Portland record shop. Crossroads Music was an intense place. It was packed with records. Most of it was junk. The impression I got was that it worked sort of like an antique mall for records: Independent sellers lay out their wares and the guy at the counter keeps track of who sells what. It was confusing until I found one or two little rows of modern indie rock 7”s and promptly spent an hour and a half combing through 45s from bands I’d never heard of. This is one of my favorite fucking things on the planet. The overhead is minimal, so I’m more likely to make an investment in something that just plain looks cool or I have even remotely heard of on the off chance it’s something tasty. Even if I had picked up a copy of this when it was released in 2008 (I’m pretty sure I attended the release party for this 7” and did not purchase a copy because it was during my “I’m about to graduate college and am currently unemployed and have no money” period (not to be confused with my current “I graduated college five years ago and am underemployed and the bulk of my extra money to Sallie Mae” period). While I always liked seeing Bandit Teeth and the Dactyls play live, I never really had any desire to listen to them outside of the Replay Lounge. It’s funny, because I listened to Bandit Teeth auxiliary projects Blood on the Wall and Rooftop Vigilantes at great length at home and in the car. Their contribution to this 7”—“Pajamazon”—is bringing back some fun memories. The nice thing about Bandit Teeth was that the Brad, Zach and Charley all seemed like this was the band that brought them the most joy. The band that was the most fun to be in just because they had all been buddies for forever. It’s ramshackle indie rock with some crustier garage influences. The Dactyls’ fondness for the glory days of indie rock was always firmly apparent. The specter of Pavement was always in the air anytime that played. They seemed so influenced by Pavement I remember remarking that it was strange they didn’t do a one off Pavement tribute because they would have been so good at that. They ultimately grew out of the Pavement knock-off and into a well rounded college rock troupe that seemed content to not set the world on fire and to exist as one of the better openers that Lawrence had to offer to national touring acts. This 7” is stirring up a massive wave of nostalgia for what was at my absolute worst.  My most dickheaded, my most drunk, my most destructive, and most ready to get the fuck out of Lawrence as soon as humanly possible. It’s all kind of funny in hindsight. A period jam packed with reality lessons that helped me grow and learn from my mistakes sound tracked by one of the better periods in the Lawrence Music Scene.

Even though it has only been five years, almost all evidence of these songs ever existing has seemingly vanished from the internet and I'm wishing I had a USB turntable to share these tracks. Preserve them in amber as an artifact of the time when $2 cans of PBR were king.

Here is what is left of Bandit Teeth

Here is what is left of the Dactyls

Hornet Leg - Blood Trilogy 7"

Hornet Leg – Blood Trilogy 7”

K Records, 2008

Acquired: KJHK Music Staff, New, 2008

Price: $0

At least I’m pretty sure I got this one at music staff. Otherwise, I don’t know where the heck it came from since I only ever ordered LPs by bands I loved via K Records mail order. As the title suggests, all three songs on this 7” have blood in the song titles and blood in the lyrics. The music is pretty routine mid-fi garage rock and nothing to write home about. It’s just the sort of ubiquitous indie rock K Records has been releasing without filter for a while now and while there’s nothing wrong with the music, Hornet Leg does little to differentiate itself from the rest of that garage rock revival pack that roamed the college radio airwaves in the late 00s (and really, continues to roam the airwaves to this day because it seems like everyone and his mom is in a garage band). Of the three tracks, "Covered in Blood" is the most effective. There's something about that wailing chorus that I really dig. Depsite all of the quasi-hate I harbor for the garage rock revival, I'll admit a lot of it is plainly satisfying. Plus I can never truly legitimize my hate because garage rockers usually churn out songs that clock in around the two-minute mark and it's really hard to stay mad at a band that keeps 'em short and simple.

"Covered in Blood" 

Finally Punk - "Hypertension" 7"

Finally Punk – Hypertension EP

M’lady’s Records, 2008

Acquired: Love Garden, New, 2008

Price: $5

 

On a deep personal level, I think $5 is too much for a 7”. I know cost-of-goods has gone up and all, and I’m not arguing the actual pricing of the thing, but unless I have a very good reason I can’t bring myself to pay $5 for two songs when I can just buy the record for $15-18, no matter how much fun I think 7”s are. What is my ideal price for a 7”? $3-4. Even $4 gives the illusion that you are getting a deal. I’m only making this point because this was one of the few new 7”s I ever bought and I legitimately cannot remember why I bought it. Something struck me that day as I was browsing the new 7”s at the old upstairs Love Garden. It’s weird how well I remember buying this, but only bits and pieces. Had I just wanted to buy something and asked for a recommendation? Was I under the requisite $8 you must spend to use a credit card and in need of padding my bill? I forget the important details, but I do remember immediately taking it home, throwing it on my turntable and then never listening to it again until this afternoon.

This time around, I’m not giving it the old cursory listen. I’ve listened to it about five times trying to find something about this scrappy all-girl punk band from Austin special. All I can think about is that wave of all-girl punk bands that bubbled up until Best Coast crawled out and started putting their songs in Old Navy commercials. I feel like there were a ton of all-girl punk bands when I went to SXSW in ’08 and ’09. I remember seeing Mika Miko like three times. It was really refreshing to see the ghost of Bikini Kill haunting college radio. All-girl bands are important to a healthy musical economy. Finally Punk’s Hypertension EP is shouty art-punk that is all sharp edges and disjointed songs. It’s a bit outside of my realm of enjoyability, but these noisy punk bands tend to really shine in a live setting. Plus the songs are all like, a minute or so long which earns a thumbs up in my book. We should all mourn the day punk bands started making songs that were over five minutes long (The Decline being the exception).

"Hypertension"(Note: Finally Punk compiled their first three EPs into an album called Casual Goths, which I should not is a fantastic record title).

Fag Cop - Complete Shit Volume 1

Fag Cop – Complete Shit Volume 1 7”

Eat Records, 2008

Acquired: Fag Cop Live Show, New, 2008

Price: $5

 

Once I went to see Fag Cop in the basement of the Eighth Street Taproom and I couldn’t hear right for three straight days. I blame that show for the lion’s share of the hearing damage acquired from years of going to shows without earplugs. Seriously, everything was dulled for THREE days after that show. Because these motherfuckers play loud. Loud is overrated. Something used as a substitute for substance. Granted, considering that literally anyone can start a punk band, punk rock really doesn’t need to have a lot of substance. Which is perfectly fine. Everything on this 7” is distorted to within an inch of its life. The guitars, the drums, the bass, the vocals. All of it sounds like it’s going to fall apart if you so much as look at it wrong. As much as I think it takes minimal effort to make noisy punk rock, Fag Cop was one of the better Lawrence bands from the post-Anniversary era. They seemed to give less of a fuck than other bands, which I liked. The fun they were having was genuine, or seemed genuine at least. Despite the hearing damage, their live shows were a blast, and it barely needs to be mentioned that a band like this is built for live shows. The recordings are more like an obligation rather than something seriously labored over.