Like a toddler taking a crayon to a Warhol. That's what Women sound like - Did they record an album of sunny, sixties, bubblegum, pop art only to discover on return from their celebratory drink down the local, that their younger crazed siblings had decided to try and add some parts of their own? Whatever, it's great stuff!!
From the deepest darkest depths of Calgary and signed to the arch label of coolness Jajaguwar (home to Oneida, Black Mountain, Okkervil River, etc) come four men... in Women / who are Women / make up Women / play in Women / (HA HA HA - wonder how funny they'll find that by 2010?) and their self titled debut album.
The album was recorded in Chad Vangallen's (with whom band Members have also played and toured with) basement using gaffer tape, a blender, 3 hammers and a screw driver. Well nearly, this is more bottom-fi than lo-fi. Not content to put their feet into either the sixties garage pop camp or noisy feedback camp the result is an album that sounds like 'Oh Inverted World' Shins being attacked by Thurston Moore, and could divide their listeners into 2 camps; too much melody vs. too much noise.
It takes 3 tracks of swirling noise and shimmering beauty until the first unadulterated 'tune' shines forth in the form of 'Black Dice', resembling one of the garage punk bands from the 60's such as the Count 5, Standells, etc, etc but equally the production recalls that of Mr Mercer and chums on their first album under The Shins moniker. Similarly, 'Group Transport Hall' foregoes the use of amp hum and homemade cymbals hit with ice cream cones and instead focuses on tunefulness.
'Shaking Hands' has in places a Joy Division feel in its jerky rhythmic nature, but also combines early 90's lo-fi elements not dissimilar in places to early Polvo. The vocals sound disassociated and far removed, almost absent minded and conjures up a feeling of isolation from the music, taking the song in to an altogether different realm than that of the music. This could be said of a lot of the album where loneliness and solitude is the overriding impression with the voice almost calling from a distance and trying to make itself heard over the party that is the music.
The last track 'Flashlights' is how I imagine My Bloody Valentine's 20 minutes of psych noise would sound if they only had 2 pedals, three 50 watt amps, and no light show - it ends the album perfectly.
This is an album that would be more at home on In The Red Records alongside Black Lips, King Khan, et al with its garage leanings but it would be totally inaccurate to describe it as garage punk, it's by no means as one dimensional as that. The juxtaposition of noise and melody means that it's an album that doesn't tire, on the contrary it tugs at the imagination - the more you listen and the deeper you delve, the more there is in its grooves.
Top Tracks: 'Flashlights', 'Black Dice'.
Released 19/01/09 on Jagjaguwar