Slow Pulp - Moveys

Slow Pulp’s debut album Moveys proves that the band already knows its audience. The self-released LP exudes the melancholy of a crisp fall morning in the band’s Midwestern home -- a feeling particularly prescient as the days get shorter in isolation.

Much of the album -- which clocks in short at under half an hour -- may sound familiar. The band pairs Alex G’s down-tuned guitar riffs with muffled Soccer Mommy vocals and introspective lyrics such as “Do you recall my name/ It’s okay I’ll stay/ Love you the same.” In essence, they have created the quintessential sadboy indie record -- unremarkably catering towards the Carhartt beanie and Dickies-clad crowd. To be sure, the individual tracks, each averaging only around two minutes, do at times start to blend together. And yet, there are just enough surprises to keep you leaning in.

The first of these comes almost exactly halfway through on “Channel 2,” which sees bassist Alex Leeds take over on vocals for a transition away from Emily Massey’s lighter voice before featuring a sailing guitar solo reminiscent of 60’s classic rock. Next, before returning to the predictable lilt of the band’s melodious winddown sound, we’re greeted instead with “Whispers (In the Outfield),” a harpsichord-centered interlude.

Most notable in its breakaway from the traditional structure of Slow Pulp’s definitive genre, however, is the titular closing track “Moveys” -- a somewhat silly dance tune replete with kitschy sound effects and the simple demand “Scram!” repeated several times. Similar to the LP’s play-on-words title, the choice to end an otherwise introspective album with such a silly outlier leaves the listener with the perspective and intention to carry on with their day accordingly.

Even when Slow Pulp starts to blend into the abyss of indie rock, they prove that they can do it well. Furthermore, their willingness to experiment in ways that shouldn’t work and yet still do makes me excited to see how this band will innovate a genre that has, in my opinion, generally stagnated in recent years.

- Barbara Rasin, Music Director

RIYL: Alex G, Soccer Mommy, Japanese Breakfast, St. Vincent
Recommended Tracks: 1, 3, 10
FCC: Clean

ssshhhiiittt! - Третья жизнь

It has, at times, been difficult for me to recommend Russian emo rock to others. Not due to any lack of quality in the music, but simply because one needs to be willing to feel a certain degree of burned out in order to really enjoy the crashing guitars and strained vocals (which, of course, are in Russian).

But now, in 2020, Russian emo bands like ssshhhiiittt! have captured the global sound of COVID confusion. On their latest album, Третья жизнь (Third Life, for my fellow non-cyrrilic readers), the group plunges further into the emotive rock that has captivated their fans. There’s no pretension around the music; the recordings have a DIY feel and the playing more closely resembles shoe-gazing pedalboard wizardry than any guitar heroics. For lovers of character and nuance, there’s something oddly comforting about the simplicity of the tracks. A driving drum groove carries all the fuzz and distortion, while leaving enough room for the melancholy vocals of singer and bandleader Nikita Kislov.

Sometimes the band leans into that cacophony, as they have on previous projects, but on Третья жизнь there’s a much greater emphasis on the emotional side of their material. The band shows real restraint, building gloomy atmospheres bit by bit until they finally tear them down with the triumphant hooks and choruses ssshhhiiittt! have become known for.

Each song could function as a microcosm for the overall flow of the album; the songs get progressively more and more caustic until they peak at the fiery “остаться во сне” (“Stay Asleep”), at turns exhausted in contemplation and at others defiant with jubilation. That energy ebbs away slowly over the next track, “надежда” (“Home”), until all that remains is the gentle warmth of the last two tracks, carrying the listener forward into the sadness-tinged uncertainty that has come to define 2020.

Any lover of Russian literature will know that the writers of the culture have a particular knack for conveying emotion and the human experience --- ssshhhiiittt! manage it so well that they cross language barriers.

- Sam Feehan, DJ

RIYL: American Football, Duster, Anton Chekhov, Screaming into your fur hat
Recommended Tracks: 1, 4, 6, 9
FCC: Clean

Various Artists - No Bad Words For The Coast Today: The Execution Of All Things Covers Comp

It feels like an eternity since any of us have been to a D.I.Y. punk show in someone’s living room or basement, but if you reach back into the recesses of your mind for memories of those gigs, maybe the following occurrence will resonate. A band you’ve never heard of is playing—maybe they’re opening for your friend or for a touring act you like, or maybe you just came to the show for the ambiance—and though their music is good, the lack of familiarity is draining your focus. But then, towards the end of the set, they play a cover. Suddenly, you can shed your polite foot-tapping and sing along, dance and bang your head at the right moments.

Perhaps my nostalgia for those moments is what makes me feel so fondly toward the album No Bad Words For The Coast Today, released via Bandcamp last week. The compilation, a track-for-track tribute (with a few bonus covers) to iconic aughts indie band Rilo Kiley’s The Execution of All Things, features 14 artists from varying levels of D.I.Y. fame—the biggest names on the record are the likes of Mannequin Pussy, Diet Cig, and Adult Mom. I’m not particularly versed in the discographies of any of the artists on No Bad Words, but as an adoring fan of Rilo Kiley—and especially of the 2002 album to which this compilation pays homage—I find both comfort and novelty in their covers.

None of the covers on the album are unrecognizable to Rilo Kiley connoisseurs, though some adaptations are more faithful than others. The opening track, a version of “The Good That Won’t Come Out” by Philly duo Gladie, is almost indistinguishable from the original, down to the opening drum machine beat and the melancholy bells that punctuate the outro. Other artists choose to zero in on aspects of their source material, amplifying those characteristics. Mannequin Pussy’s cover of the original album’s title track, “The Execution of All Things,” takes the song’s rousing, chugging thud and brings it into what had been a quieter intro. By emphasizing this heavy sound, Mannequin Pussy intensifies the song’s dark, climactic energy. The coverers’ more significant instrumental changes are well-chosen; Brooklyn sisters Verdigrls swap out the fade-in that opens “A Better Son/Daughter” for a strings section that mirrors the song’s vocal melody and bring in a heartbeat-like drum beat, while Jersey City duo Sailor Boyfriend add a disco-ish dance beat over the melancholy “Hail to Whatever You Found In the Sunlight That Surrounds You.”

Sure, with its diligent replication of each track from the 2002 album, along with three of the band’s deep cuts—“Emotional,” “Jenny, You’re Barely Alive,” and “Glendora”—No Bad Words will appeal most strongly to Rilo Kiley devotees. But for those who haven’t yet tread into Lewis and bandmate/ex Blake Sennett’s discography, this compilation could serve as an enticing point of entry. These days, the solidarity and unity that shared musical experiences bring us are both harder to come by and more important than ever. Half of the proceeds from the sales of No Bad Words go to the trans harm reduction organization G.L.I.T.S.—the album brings both the artistic pleasure and the spirit of mutual aid characteristic of the best corners of the D.I.Y. music scene into the online realm.

- Lucy Talbot Allen, Music Writing Director

RIYL: Rilo Kiley (duh), Mitski, Neko Case, The Strokes
Recommended Tracks: 3, 6, 10, 11
FCC: Explicit (Tracks 1, 6, 11, 13, 14)

NEW ADDS: Slow Pulp, ssshhhiiittt!, and more