EDD rules the school
― Wu-Tang Clannad (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Tuesday, 27 January 2015 20:03 (nine years ago) link
Ursa Major is my fave EDD, but they have no outright duds...though, iirc, Xgau was decidedly not a fan.
(Also seek out Janet Beveridge Bean's collaboration with Green's Jeff Lescher, Jesus Built A Ship To Sing A Song To -- all Gram Parsons covers, with the hands-down definitive "Hot Burrito #1.")
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Tuesday, 27 January 2015 23:10 (nine years ago) link
Marcus was very big on Eleventh Dream Day. I bought Lived to Tell but don't remember much.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 27 January 2015 23:48 (nine years ago) link
Tell me more: I've never really spent much time with EDD-appears all I have is their cover of Ocean on a VU comp. I saw some sort of reunion show a few years back and don't remember female vocals either. are they in the Wussy/Fleetwood Mac camp lyrically?
― campreverb, Wednesday, 28 January 2015 13:42 (nine years ago) link
Hmm. Not really, though there is a bit of tension (the guitarist and drummer used to be married). The lyrics are a bit more abstract and poetic, while the music is often a manic mix of Crazy Horse, the Feelies, whatever it is that Yo La Tengo does and high octane garage rock.
Famous origin story: they were signed to Atlantic by Bettina Richards, and their shitty treatment on said label is what prompted her to found Thrill Jockey. More recently, EDD (on Thrill Jockey) has sort of hovered between their guitar roots and a slightly post-rocky bent, though you would never confuse them for anything but rock.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 January 2015 15:01 (nine years ago) link
Some good EDD performance and interview footage here from a 1990 Dutch TV special, with fellow Chicagoans Green -- both bands were much bigger in Holland than in the US.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b34CdwgOAvY
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 28 January 2015 15:12 (nine years ago) link
Music video! Janet's pretty dolled up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFsGYnGNjN0
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 January 2015 15:25 (nine years ago) link
I suppose Dream Syndicate is another touchstone for them.
Other EDD related origin story: the bass player from EDD and the drummer from Precious Wax Drippings while both bands were on tour together hatched an idea to form a dubby-influenced band with them as the drum/bass axis and later on they formed Tortoise.
Also EDD is totally awesome and their most recent record "Riot Now!" is great
― chr1sb3singer, Wednesday, 28 January 2015 15:26 (nine years ago) link
Oh weird, I had no idea there was a Tortoise/Precious Wax Drippings connection!
― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Wednesday, 28 January 2015 15:34 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, Johnny Machine aka John Herndon.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 28 January 2015 15:38 (nine years ago) link
Saw them Saturday night, which filled in some gaps in my appreciation. I already liked them well enough, and liked Attica a lot, but I didn't really get what a great, noisy guitar band they are. The three guitars (on most songs) give them great depth and layers of sound. Terrific show.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Monday, 6 April 2015 12:30 (nine years ago) link
There's a new Magic Words LP out there for download. (I'm not quite a professional shill for Wussy, not yet--just one of the top-ranking amateurs, as Guy Woodhouse would say.)
http://wussy.bandcamp.com/album/the-day-we-ran-away-magic-words-demos
― clemenza, Monday, 13 April 2015 22:39 (nine years ago) link
Having trouble w the link, but it's prob some firefox shit---meanwhile, is Magic Words a Wussy side project?
― dow, Tuesday, 14 April 2015 04:09 (nine years ago) link
I hadn't thought of comparison w EDD, but can see it. Haven't kept up, but their early sound made me think of traveling back to Jefferson Airplane's San Franciso, then to Jack London's, and (mainly) north to the Klondike, the Yukon: way up on a lunar mountain range, with searchlight (or at least flashlight)guitars, all-weather drums, and sometimes a helluva view (but layers of storm-sounds too).
― dow, Tuesday, 14 April 2015 04:17 (nine years ago) link
(xpost) I think it was Lisa Walker's band before Wussy.
― clemenza, Tuesday, 14 April 2015 12:57 (nine years ago) link
looks like there is some sort of new record store day thing too:http://wussy.ella.net/projects/public-domain-vol-1/
― campreverb, Tuesday, 14 April 2015 13:43 (nine years ago) link
Video for "Halloween."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjopi16hNkM
― clemenza, Thursday, 14 May 2015 04:41 (eight years ago) link
19mShamelessly sensitive melo("music")drama as increasingly cosmic noise rock folk, always true to the tune & words/plot https://wussy.bandcamp.com/album/public-domain-volume-ihttps://f1.bcbits.com/img/a3075847013_16.jpg
― dow, Saturday, 19 September 2015 04:03 (eight years ago) link
Listening now... this is not an acoustic album as they've done in the past -- it's the full-on Wussy alt.drone applied to traditional songs.
― Adam J Duncan, Wednesday, 30 September 2015 05:58 (eight years ago) link
Finally got around to burning the Magic Words record that came out earlier this year (The Day We Ran Away). Fantastic. The versions (earlier? later?) of Wussy songs are usually so different they're barely recognizable, and there are at least a couple of excellent (what I think are) new songs.
― clemenza, Monday, 21 December 2015 00:31 (eight years ago) link
New album "Forever Sounds" out in March.
"...exploring such themes as hauntings, false prophets, aliens and The Big Lebowski" (not too excited about that last part)
http://wussy.bandcamp.com/album/forever-sounds
― Ys Man a.k.a. Have One on G (geoffreyess), Thursday, 21 January 2016 22:11 (eight years ago) link
https://soundcloud.com/wussy_official/dropping-houses-shake-itdamnably-2016
song rules, they're playing NYC twice in march, love this band
― adam, Friday, 22 January 2016 16:19 (eight years ago) link
What's the deal with the debut, "Funeral Dress"? It's way out of print, any plans for a reissue?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 22 January 2016 16:23 (eight years ago) link
Another fantastic song. This band is so great.
And they're finally starting to get more attention. I can't think of a band that deserves success more than them.
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 22 January 2016 16:23 (eight years ago) link
x-post
The MP3 album is available on Amazon. Not sure about the physical CD.
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 22 January 2016 16:29 (eight years ago) link
The Big Lebowski song is actually outstanding (and I was nervous about it too before I heard it).
― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Friday, 5 February 2016 17:48 (eight years ago) link
Where did you hear it?
― cpl593H, Friday, 5 February 2016 17:50 (eight years ago) link
I know a guy who's reviewing it. I tried to get a copy but no dice. That was one of the two songs I heard, at least I'm reasonably sure it was one of them, since it had lines taken directly from the film in the lyrics (Walter's funeral speech).
― Jimmywine Dyspeptic, Friday, 5 February 2016 18:05 (eight years ago) link
Saw the trio show tonight, which was excellent despite some fits and starts. When it all clicks and Chuck & Lisa sing together it's just mesmerizing, like a darker, Midwestern X or Fleetwood Mac. They also went super obscure and played the Twinkeyz 'Aliens In Our Midst'.
― campreverb, Sunday, 21 February 2016 09:55 (eight years ago) link
The guitars are just huge on this one.
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 2 March 2016 18:08 (eight years ago) link
This is my second Wussy album, and it sounds less varied and certainly a lot slower and more abrasive than Attica. Most notably, nothing here shimmers like "North Sea Girls." Not saying I don't like it, I just need some more time with it.
― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Friday, 4 March 2016 18:31 (eight years ago) link
It's definitely a departure from their other records. Chuck's songs are better here, where Lisa dominated Attica.
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 4 March 2016 21:01 (eight years ago) link
"she killed hundreds" and "my parade" are the early standouts (besides "dropping houses"). i'm seeing them tonight in the 5-piece configuration, interested in seeing how the new songs work live.
― adam, Friday, 4 March 2016 21:06 (eight years ago) link
Video for "She's Killed Hundreds"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4jUTWKy35Q
― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Monday, 7 March 2016 14:56 (eight years ago) link
New album's good but not blowing me away.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 7 March 2016 14:57 (eight years ago) link
i think the production is kinda murky and not in an atmospheric way. live it was much more blistering and raucous. they covered "ceremony" too.
― adam, Monday, 7 March 2016 15:06 (eight years ago) link
I'm still not sold on the whole thing--the Lebowski song is a slog--but the closing four-song stretch is fantastic. Love how they follow (imho) the album's best rocker ("Sidewalk Sale") with three rather textured ballads.
― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Friday, 25 March 2016 19:40 (eight years ago) link
Great sound, but the songs aren't as strong as usual. Still an excellent record.
― kornrulez6969, Friday, 25 March 2016 20:30 (eight years ago) link
They did a nice cover of New Order's "Ceremony" for RSD:
https://soundcloud.com/damnably/wussy-ceremony-rsd-7
― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Wednesday, 4 May 2016 03:46 (seven years ago) link
A track of theirs came up in my Discover Weekly this week and I am digging it. Have to admit I wondered for a bit if the female vocalist was Karen O.
― The Professor of Hard Rain (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 July 2016 22:03 (seven years ago) link
Song i listened to even referenced my current screen name.
― The Professor of Hard Rain (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 25 July 2016 01:12 (seven years ago) link
My new favorite band, based on Funeral Dress and my other other meanderings through the catalog.
Has anyone who's never read Robert Christgau ever been into Wussy?I heard about this one guy who lives in North Dakota who fits this description. But that's it.― clemenza, Saturday, August 30, 2014 3:55 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalinki'm into wussy because of chuck cleaver, and i'm into chuck cleaver because of the afghan whigs (covering the ass ponys)not that the rest of them, particularly lisa walker, aren't awesome. anyway, christgau is not involved― mookieproof, Saturday, August 30, 2014 4:12 AM (1 year ago)
I heard about this one guy who lives in North Dakota who fits this description. But that's it.
― clemenza, Saturday, August 30, 2014 3:55 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i'm into wussy because of chuck cleaver, and i'm into chuck cleaver because of the afghan whigs (covering the ass ponys)
not that the rest of them, particularly lisa walker, aren't awesome. anyway, christgau is not involved
― mookieproof, Saturday, August 30, 2014 4:12 AM (1 year ago)
― The Rest Is A Cellarful of Noise (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 11 August 2016 01:29 (seven years ago) link
But yeah, "Bug" is problematic. Is it named after the Dinosaur, Jr. album?
― The Rest Is A Cellarful of Noise (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 11 August 2016 01:37 (seven years ago) link
My new favorite band
me too
― flopson, Wednesday, 14 September 2016 21:15 (seven years ago) link
Finally listened to Forever Sounds, which earns its name--which, if they didn't consciously make from Forever Changes and Pet Sounds, might as well have, cos it's that kind of vibrant sonic monument, made of Grade-A Collector's Guide Catnip---but so far can't hear why xgau says it's more the sound than the songs; to me it's the sound of songs, of detail curving in through the wide windscreen strata of perspective (doesn't seem all that overdubby though, even on headphones: think they could get a lot of the same effect on stage, or recording live in the studio). Title also related to the mythopoeic power and ambition and hope and compulsive urge in their surge, x fatalistic or morbid themes: they're off to see thee wizard, even though we're all gonna die sometyme--so: folk music, and big loud catchiness too; sounds like they still like the Who as well as Richard and Linda maybe even more compatibly than ever, and this is what we get after Attica! and Public Domain Vol. 1(harmonium and piano from the splintered parlor show up on intro of last track, even). This pulled me in right away, which isn't absolutely necessary but always favored. Lisa and Hungry Chuck: Mom 'n' Pop ov Dragons (Midwestern loose meat sandwich ones, of course).
― dow, Friday, 23 September 2016 18:08 (seven years ago) link
"all gonna die someday" if we haven't already, with at least one song about (calling himself)a ghost(because he can be or call himself whatever he wants to) glimpsed already.
― dow, Friday, 23 September 2016 18:13 (seven years ago) link
that post's a little too off the deep end for me but i think i agree with the sentiment, that there is something special about this album :)
(doesn't seem all that overdubby though, even on headphones: think they could get a lot of the same effect on stage, or recording live in the studio).
this is definitely true. it just sounds like a guitar indie rock band, just a really really good and exquisitley recorded one \o/
I also agree with this, from a p4k review: "there remains something resolutely midwestern in the delivery" which I think you are getting at with Lisa and Hungry Chuck: Mom 'n' Pop ov Dragons (Midwestern loose meat sandwich ones, of course).
dropping horses -> she's killed hundreds is the best one-two punch album opener of the year
― flopson, Friday, 23 September 2016 19:04 (seven years ago) link
So with this band are we supposed to assume every perceived reference to something else is really there, for instance that the fire-starting "cigarette alone" of "Beautiful" is the same one smoked on the steps by the fireworks-noticing Joe Doe in "4th of July"?
― Berberian Begins at Home (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 September 2016 00:26 (seven years ago) link
Uh, John Doe. Don't know who Joe Doe is or how he got in there.
― Berberian Begins at Home (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 30 September 2016 00:52 (seven years ago) link