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Are You Receiving Me? #54 — Night Birds

by Mike Faloon

Night Birds
Born to Die in Suburbia LP
Grave Mistake

Night Birds
Maimed For the Masses 7” EP
Fat Wreck

There are many reasons to like Night Birds. Numerous. Let’s start with my current chart-topper: Night Birds assume that their listeners cross reference. Here’s an example. Born to Die in Suburbia (Grave Mistake) is the band’s sophomore LP. The opening song is “Escape From New York.” Musically, it’s a good, not perfect, decision. It’s a fine instrumental. It’s a great platform for PJ Russo (the band’s new guitarist charged with the job of replacing Mike Hunchback; more on that later). But in strictly musical terms—separating the tune from its origins—“Escape From New York” isn’t the strongest opener. The album has at least four stronger songs. But “Escape From New York” ends up being a terrific opener. First of all, it’s a soundtrack song refitted for punk rock purposes. Its shifts in unexpected ways; certainly catches me off guard. Also, there’s the underlying assumption that you’re already familiar with the source material. (“Escape From New York” is a cover of the title song from the 1981 John Carpenter movie.) Or at the very least you experience a moment of “Isn’t that…?” and then read the album’s credits. (Ideally, either path leads you to recall “Hoffman Lens,” the John Carpenter reference from the band’s debut record.)

A strong follow up on my list of reasons to dig Night Birds is that they have overcome the departure of their original guitarist, Mike Hunchback. He didn’t write much of the band’s material. (Bassist Joe Keller and singer Brian Gorsegner are credited with writing most of the songs.) But Mike colored the proceedings with a beautifully reverb-soaked guitar sound; high-octane classic surf action. I was bummed out when I learned he was leaving the band. I was more than relieved when I caught a Night Birds show with PJ Russo on guitar. Much as I liked Mike Hunchback’s sound, Russo make it immediately apparent the role was filled. Does he carry it over into the studio? Absolutely. From the outset Russo brings his own sound—more classic punk, less reverb. He’s a huge part of why the first six songs on side one sizzle. (Check out the second half of the guitar solo on “Modern Morons,” about the 1:11 mark.) Things slow down on the side’s closing cut, “Nazi Gold,” but we can’t hang that on Russo.

Third reason: Night Birds have the confidence to place the record’s best song, “Maimed for the Masses,” in the middle of side two. Bold move, gents. I like it. Excellent chorus and the bittersweet narrative about a low-rent wrestler is a crowning touch.

Batting clean up: I’ve developed a stronger sense of what makes Night Birds tick lyrically. Since their first record (a 4-song CD-R from 2009) Night Birds have painted clear pictures with their lyrical stances—ample amounts of anxiety and anger, commenting on social issues, celebrating horror movies. But I tended to think of them on a song-by-song basis. The dark tones could be overwhelming. The songs on Born in Suburbia cover similar topics, but now I see where the Venn diagrams overlap. The pivotal idea seems to revolve around having awareness others don’t have, or worse, possess and choose not to act on; the pain of confronting a world that’s not what it could be. 

Born to Die in Suburbia is as satisfying as loud, fast, catchy music gets. It’ll be in regular rotation for awhile.

The Maimed for the Masses 7” EP (Fat Wreck) borrows the title song from the full-length and adds three non-LP songs. “Boat Trash” is one of the band’s best instrumentals.  “Barked Out” and “Last Gasp” aren’t far behind. Great EP for newcomers. Essential for converts.

Are You Receiving Me? – Feeling Like the Comic Book Store Dude from The Simpsons – Weeding Through the Clean’s Odditties

by Mike Faloon

The Clean
Odditties LP
Five Four-O Records

The Clean are a great band. The Clean sound like the best Kinks, Velvet Underground and Pink Floyd. The Clean are so well regarded that their outtakes record, Odditties, has just been released for the third time.

In its original incarnation, Oddities, which rounds up 22 bits and pieces recorded in the band’s early days (’80-‘82), was a pair of cassettes released by the band. Twelve years later, in 1994, Oddities was released on CD by Flying Nun Records. Now it’s on vinyl for the first time courtesy of Five Four-O Records.

But is it worth it? I have the other Clean records. I listen to them regularly. I’m always hoping for more Clean releases. Given the band’s release schedule — 5 full-length studio records in 30 years — this happens infrequently. The prospect of a double album’s worth of new (to me) Clean material made me giddy. But I wanted to know if it was worth tracking down Oddities. How many of these songs were on other records or merely different mixes of songs I already knew.

Are You Receiving Me? – Black Wine

By Mike Faloon

Black Wine
Hollow Earth LP
Don Gionvanni Records

Another summer, another new Black Wine record. A fan of poppy punk rock could get mighty used to such things.  Though it sounds little like past albums, Hollow Earth, the band’s third record, is excellent. Certainly the most consistent, perhaps their best.

Here’s a theory. It belongs to Jeff Schroeck, Black Wine’s guitarist. The band’s first album sounded kind of like the band members’ previous bands (Hunchback, Ergs). The second record, a wildly diverse collection, is a reaction to the debut, a move away from sounding like those previous bands. Hollow Earth sounds like Black Wine. It’s not a reaction to old bands as much as it’s embracing this band.

I hear what he’s saying; I agree and I’d add this: Hollow Earth takes the poppiest moments from the first two albums, polishes the production, and includes just enough unexpected moves, musically and lyrically.

Are You Receiving Me? – Nardwuar and the Evaporators Present Busy Doing Nothing!

By Mike Faloon

Nardwuar, The Evaporators, and Special Guests
Busy Doing Nothing LP and Calendar (!)
Nardwuar/Mint Records

Question: Which of our five contestants is telling the truth?

#1: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m a Nardwuar album.

#2: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m an Evaporators album.

#3: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m a tribute album.

#4: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m a calendar.

#5: My name is Busy Doing Nothing! I’m a zine.

Answer: All of the above.

Busy Doing Nothing! is a veritable variety show. It offers a wide range of garage and pop bands, along with interviews (audio and text), a great looking calendar, and fantastic graphic design.  

Side Nard, known on the south side of the border as the A-side, is a tribute to Canadian bands of the past.  Side Wuar has six Evaporators tunes followed by a Nardwuar interview with Franz Ferdinand.

The calendar focuses on Bev Davies’ photographs from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. D. Boon, James Brown, New Order, Iggy Pop, Joan Jett and, perhaps best of all, extras from the set of Ladies and Gentleman, the Fabulous Stains. There is also a Nardwuar interview with Davies detailing the backstory of each photo.

The graphic design is the crowning touch. Anyone who’s ever seen a Nardwuar record before knows to expect a great looking album. Busy Doing Nothing! is no exception. Everything’s perfect — color schemes, lettering, layout. With most records you might notice one or two of those elements but it’s all aces here, even the record’s spine, which is so wide you bike on it. (Production design credit goes to Robynn and Randy Iwata)

So, the packaging is immaculate. Is the music any good? If the style scores a 10, then how about the substance? The line up doesn’t have the same marquee appeal of past Nardwuar compilations, but that didn’t matter initially because I was so caught up in the bounty of graphics and interviews. Eventually focus came my way and with it a bevy of fun tunes. Chief among the tribute/cover songs were Franz Ferdinand (nicely bending Pointed Sticks’ “Real Thing” into a kind of Echo and the Bunnymen tune) and—just to make things more self referential—Fuad & the Feztones covering the Evaporators’ “Welcome to My Castle” with a good coat of Sam the Sham silliness.  Kate Nash puts a whole different bounce into cub’s “My Chinchlla,” and it works really well until they lapse into “let’s play fast’n’yell,” which undermines an otherwise really clever reworking.  

The rest of the record is devoted to the Evaporators. To enjoy the Evaporators you have to be prepared to fully embrace the ridiculous, you have to be at ease with phrases along the lines of, “this is so stupid it’s wonderful.” Hopefully that comes easy to you. If so, the Evaporators, fronted by Nardwuar himself, have what you need but didn’t realize: “I Hate Being Late When I’m Early,” “Hot Dog High,” the title track, and “Pig War” are all excellent. 

Side Nard scores a 7 while Side Wuar earns a 9. That’s an 8 for substance to go with the 10 for style. Overall, that warrants seeking out Busy Doing Nothing!

Now, where do I submit this review for “Canadian Heritage” funding?

Are You Receiving Me? – Superchunk

By Mike Faloon

Superchunk
“This Summer” and “Cruel Summer” download single
Merge Records

“There’s a new Superchunk record.”

It’s a phrase I’ll always be psyched to hear. Though in this case, “There’s a new Superchunk download available” is more apt. (There was a limited number of this single pressed, but I missed out.) The a-side doesn’t move very fast. Nor does it need to. It feels like I did on the 4^th of July when temperatures shot to the low 90s and then passed out; I was pleasantly drained by the sunshine, hanging out with friends and family, dashing in and out of the sprinkler. It’s summer. Relish it, right? It doesn’t come around often enough. “This Summer” fits days like that really well. It has a nice hook and shows once again how well Superchunk can exude ample energy even when moving at mid tempo. The lyrics echo some of the same ideas from my favorite song on the band’s last album, “Learned to Surf,” namely recognizing a great time and inviting someone to join in. 

The b-side is a cover of Bananarama’s “Cruel Summer.” I can’t say that I enjoy it as much as the flipside but it’s the more surprising of the two cuts. Initially I didn’t get the appeal — Why would Superchunk waste wax on a Bananarama tune? Well, obviously there’s the way the song’s title ties into Superchunk’s new summer tune. Plus, there’s more to the lyrics that I realized. “Substance” might be a stretch, but “heartache” works. (For a brief look at how the ‘80s went wrong compare the 1983 “Cruel Summer” cover art to the sleeve for the 1989 redo.)

Are You Receiving Me? – Surf City

by Mike Faloon

Surf City
Kudos LP
Fire Records

Surf City’s self-titled EP from 2007 is one of my favorite debut records of all-time. It’s an amazing update on the New Zealand sounds that defined that island’s music scene throughout the ‘80s and early ‘90s—the Clean, the Chills, the Verlaines, the Bats, and Sneaky Feelings, among others. Uptempo songs marked by simple but clever arrangements, literate lyrics that acknowledged the hardships of daily life without yielding to them, and anthemic gather-together-and-raise-‘em-high melodies. Surf City made a big splash in a few ponds, mine included. Then they went away.

Are You Receiving Me? – Black Wine: Round #3

by Mike Faloon

Black Wine
Dark Energy 7” EP
Don Giovanni

“The train won’t stop going/No way to slow down” — “Locomotive Breath” Jethro Tull

Black Wine close their latest EP with a cover of “Locomotive Breath.” It’s a Jethro Tull song but Black Wine drag the sucker to a near-halt, creeping along at a sub-Flipper tempo, openly defying the lyrics, at least that part about not being able to slow down. The tune is asking, pleading, to go faster but Black Wine say, Nay!

Are You Receiving Me? – The Night Birds: Round #4

by Mike Faloon

Night Birds
Midnight Movies 7” EP
No Way Records

The other night I fell asleep convinced that Midnight Movies was first and foremost a declaration of the superiority of physics over biology. I was so sure of this theory that I opted not to get out of bed and scribble a note or three. It seemed so much like the one or two good ideas I get every year (if that) that I couldn’t imagine it evaporating on any level. What I recall is this: midnight movies—horror movies, in particular—are often examples of biology gone wrong. Mutant creatures running amuck, people acting on impulses best suppressed, and zombies, them worst of all, failing to acknowledge the most basic of biological principles: you’re supposed to cease operating at some point. Knowing that Night Birds bassist Joe Keller is a physicist I then deduced that the implicit message on this EP is that while biology can and does go awry, physics is a discipline on which we can rely. It made so much sense.

Are You Receiving Me? – Power Pop: Alive and Kicking

Midwest Beat
Bring the Water 7” EP
Tax Return

Bare Wires
“Young Love” b/w “Keep Your Love” 7”
Southpaw

The Half Rats
“For the Sake of Love” b/w “The Girl” 7”
Douche Master

Midwest Beat are in the lead off spot.  Baseball wisdom says put the best hitter third in the line up.  Pop fans know better: best goes first, and the Midwest Beat have to be one of the best bands on the planet right now.  They bring together three of my favorite elements: pure pop hooks, punk rock energy and country twang (the third isn’t so evident but I swear it’s there in spirit and it enhances the EP).  Now to the specifics.  Whenever I hear guitars jangle like this I think of the Byrds but the Sunset Strip bands of the late 60s always buried the drums (or at least their producers did), they were felt more than heard.  That’s where Midwest Beat update the sounds of old.  The snare is front and center, ride cymbal too, washing over the whole mix.  The result: these guys are faster and looser than their predecessors (but not careless and sloppy).  Couple all of the above with spot-on backing vocals (they know just when and how to “ooh” and “aah”) and the Midwest Beat deliver another terrific EP.   

Bare Wires: Your mom would hear this record and storm into the living room wagging her finger, all fired about because you’ve got her Who albums out—again—and this time you didn’t clean the needle and she can tell because poor Roger’s vocals are all distorted.  Kids these days!  Then your older brother gives you grief because he thinks you snagged his Cheap Trick records again.  And you think to yourself that mom’s comparison is more apt.  Meanwhile, I live in some fantasy world where parents know the Who and siblings know Cheap Trick.  I’ll work out those issues.  You check out this single.  It’s a corker.  (And if you want to play up the Cheap Trick angle some more, check out the cover art.  Cool dude on the front, leaning against his motorcycle.  Nerdy, vulnerable guy on the back.  Only it’s the same guy.  First take: arms crossed, confident, Robin Zander.  Second take: hair in his face, fingers tangled up, Rick Nielsen.  We are all, each one of us, both cover boy/front man and geek.  At least as far as image is concerned.)

Half Rats: Early Beatles.  Kaisers.  Neatbeats.  It’s Mersey, baby, and it’s done in right fine fashion here.  Ugly Things readers will take issues with the broad strokes I’m using—hey, mate, you got your fab in my gear!—but hopefully the gist is conveyed.  I say "inspired by" you might say "derivative."     

-- Mike Faloon

Are You Receiving Me? – Southpaw Records

Shannon & the Clams
Paddy’s Birthday 7” EP
Southpaw

The Splinters
“Blood On My Hands” b/w “Hot Hands” 7”
Southpaw

The Sandwitches
“Makes Me Sick” b/w “Idiot Savant” 7”
Southpaw

 Shannon & the Clams: “The Special Powers of Blossom Culp.”  Richard Peck.  One of the best stories ever.  Here’s the gist.  Blossom’s new in town, loathed by her classmates, Letty in particular, because she is unkempt and outspoken.  Also, she’s illiterate and takes to creating fantastic stories when asked to read before the class  (one involves her dead Siamese twin, another her mother’s ability to track murder suspects using her “second sight”).  Letty does her best to make life unpleasant for Blossom but learns too late that the real power in the story lies in Blossom’s ability to decode people.  In the end, Blossom plots her revenge and destroys (psychologically) Letty’s birthday party.  The a-side would make for the perfect soundtrack for that party—I ruined your birthday/I feel so bad.  The apology is so long and so dramatic that the focus is clearly on the perpetrator not the victim, the Blossom, not the Letty; you’ve got the cake and the presents but you won’t mess with me again.  That’s great material for a pop song and Shannon and the Clams really commit to it.  They stick to a waltz the whole time.  I kept waiting for the change to cut time, for the band to pause, the drummer to click off four and then everyone to come back in at the polka tempo.  There’s no such relief in sight, folks, that would only let the party resume and the goal here wasn’t to snare a moment or a minute but to detonate the whole shindig.  Pretty brilliant.  The b-side blazes for thirty seconds then downshifts and dims the lights, packing Shangri-Las like tragedy into a tune that’s like 60s Brill Building pop but rendered through a lens that twists and distorts.  This is how I first imagined Lou Reed’s pre-Velvet Underground singles would sound.

The Splinters: The a-side is heavy on the floor tom stomp, topped with simple and really catchy guitar lines, laid back, almost monotone vocals…sounds like Mo Tucker to me (again with the VU?) and it’s a wonderful thing.  Kind of dark in tone but sunny at the same time.  Both songs are gems.  I used to think Mo was the only one who could pull this off but I stand corrected.  The rare record that will appeal to my pre-school kids as much as Brooklyn hipsters.

The Sandwitches: A lot different than their last single (“Back to the Sea”) but perhaps better.  “Make Me Sick” has a field recording vocal—notes bending and twisting like a long, lost Appalachian melody—supported by a well-placed combination of acoustic guitar and piano, all of which stands in perfect contrast to the venomous lyrics.  “Idiot Savant” is neither like the a-side nor the previous single.  For most of the song two notes ping pong on the acoustic guitar carrying a gentle melody with a sweet sentiment: Idiot savant, you’re the one for me.  Unique, unusual, and quite good.

-- Mike Faloon