Review: Speedy Ortiz | Real Hair EP

It's hard to believe that fewer than two years have elapsed since the release of Speedy Ortiz's debut single, "Taylor Swift" b/w "Swim Fan." Since its inception, the band has worked its ass off, and as a result it has become one of the biggest successes in contemporary indie rock. Oh, yeah: it also wrote awesome songs. And while we don't pretend to know what drove the decision, it is interesting that, while its terrific and terrifically successful 2013 long-player was recorded with Justin Pizzoferrato, the Northampton, Mass.-based quartet reunited with producer and engineer Paul Q. Kolderie for its newest set of songs, the uniformly thrilling Real Hair EP. Mr. Kolderie was also behind the boards for the aforementioned debut single. His bona fides are well-documented and recitation of same typically includes words like Pixies and Radiohead and Dinosaur and Uncle Tupelo.

Could Speedy Ortiz be hoping to catch a little of Mr. Kolderie's '90s shine to help boost them to some mythical "next level" with Real Hair, which will be released by Carpark next week? Like we said, we don't know -- we're not even sure what "next level" means in the music business anymore. But we do know that Kolderie's recordings (and, specifically, these recordings) sound great. His deep experience was likely reassuring as the foursome experimented with the different sounds and production techniques that make Real Hair a confident step forward for the band. The results speak for themselves: Real Hair in places sounds rounder, fuller and crunchier than last year's long-player Major Arcana [review]. Weird organ peeks out of the corners of the unsettling closer "Shine Theory," and the bass guitar on "Oxygal" is delightfully rubbery. The guitars in the chorus of the undeniable rocker "American Horror" rage like a tsunami. Last month we called that song "an explosive and noisy (and, we should say, radio-ready) gem, shot through with unforgettable melodies. The lyrics deal with watching a loved one struggle with mental health issues, and despite the seriousness of the subject matter fronter Sadie Dupuis is still able to forge perhaps her most undeniably sing-alongable chorus since the 'Taylor Swift' single, no small feat."

The reunion with Mr. Kolderie may not have been the band's only look to the past. Attentive listeners may hear in Real Hair the influence of Pavement's superlative sophomore set Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. In a curious little bit of serendipity, Ms. Dupuis and her cohorts Mike Falcone, Darl Ferm and Matt Robidoux all recently proffered remarks to MySpace (yeah, really) regarding that particular Pavement record (which was released 20 years ago next week). Of course, if we are going to plot parallels between the discographies of Pavement and Speedy Ortiz, well, Real Hair should be analogous to the Watery, Domestic EP, right? Nonetheless, the dense, melodic thrust of Dupuis and Robidoux's guitars in the chorus of "American Horror" suggest a more aggressive restatement of the final 30 seconds of Pavement's "Elevate Me Later." Similarly, Speedy's "Everything's Bigger" announces itself with a grimy revision of the descending melody to Pavement's biggest commercial moment, "Cut Your Hair," an aural motif that recurs between choppy verses that highlight Dupuis' easy drawl. "When I got my driver's license, I would cruise around listening to Crooked Rain with my windows down," Dupuis told Justin Timberlake's cute retro web site. Vigintennial sonic echoes aside, it's Dupuis' facility with story-telling, her deceptively versatile singing voice, and the interesting sonic interplay between the vocals and guitar melodies that persist as Speedy Ortiz's defining charms, and it is those charms -- and not rank adulation of a bygone band -- that shine brightest on Real Hair. Incidentally, Speedy Ortiz will tour with Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks this spring upon the Mass. act's return from a strand of tour dates in the UK and the obligatory sojourn to the annual South By Southwest confabulation.

Speedy Ortiz plays an all-ages record release show in Cambridge, Mass. this Saturday at Tasty Burger with supporting acts The Channels, Sneeze and Idiot Genes. The evening is also a release show for Sneeze's long-player Wilt; there are additional (and FREE) Real Hair release shows in New York Friday and Monday. For the time being, one can stream all of Real Hair via Pantsfork Adpants right here. But, as Edie Brickell warned lo those many years ago, everything is temporary. When that link dies you can stream the aforementioned "American Horror" and "Everything's Bigger" via the Soundcloud embeds below. There may or may not will be copies of Real Hair availz for salez Saturday night, and the set can be pre-ordered on orange vinyl via Insound here and as a download via the digital music store operated by the company with the $447 billion market capitalization here.

Speedy Ortiz: Interpants | Facebook | Soundcloud

Today's Hotness: Purling Hiss, Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, Guillermo Sexo

>> It's no secret that Clicky Clicky (whose executive editor called 13th and Ellsworth home for a while back in the day) has a strong affinity for Philadelphia and its excellent, albeit often sadly uncelebrated, indie rock. In the midst of yet another strong wave of municipal all-stars -- led, in the nation's consciousness anyway, by Kurt Vile -- we were happy to hear a cracking new one from Philly indie trio Purling Hiss titled "Mercury Retrograde." Longtime fans know the act through its '70s-echoing, un-fi hard rock, including the brilliant "The Hoodoo," the subject of this blissfully basic video. The clip's determined VHS lens flare, stoic potted plants, heroic solos and trippy effects perhaps cast Purling Hiss as a sorta public access-caliber stoner rock band. And this is what really what makes "Mercury Retrograde" so surprising, as it presents a cleaned-up sound that channels different aural touchstones. Here the band focuses on thick guitar tones and traditional rock composition (peppered with just enough indie rock grit), which suggests the work of artful everymen like, well, contemporaries The Men or even The (legendary) Replacements. Brief, sporadic solos call to mind Stephen Malkmus’ single-note solo strangulations, and paired with Hiss fronter Mike Pollize's unaffected vocals "Mercury Retrograde" makes a strong play for an immediate connection with listeners. Purling Hiss' Water On Mars, the band's fourth album in five years, will be released by Drag City March 19 on LP, cassette and CD; pre-order the collection right here. The threesome launch a circuitous tour April 4, and makes a stop in Boston at Great Scott April 9 -- an evening that will surely become a hot ticket as the date approaches, so plan wisely. Peruse the complete tour dates right here, and stream "Mercury Retrograde" via the Soundcloud embed below. Oh, there's a video for the tune to over here. -- Edward Charlton



>> Certainly mistakes were made, as this reviewer was far too focused on noise-rock, distortion and male angst to appreciate many of the worthy and talented female artists of the '90s and early 2000s. This is a thought that came to mind again and again while marveling at newly released music from the Brunswick, ME-spawned but now Brooklyn-based Lady Lamb The Beekeeper. The nom de intense folk rock of Aly Spaltro, Lady Lamb The Beekeeper's spine-tingling full-length Ripely Pine was issued via Ba Da Bing Records Feb. 19. It's one of the strongest debuts of the year, one whose barely contained emotions and electrifying instrumention recall, among other things, Hop Along's excellent 2012 set Get Disowned. During songs such as "Rooftop" and "Bird Balloons," Ms. Spaltro melds vehement, vivid vocals and wide-ranging melodies to scarred, mathy guitar work that limns her sprawling song suites. In doing so, she smartly bridges confessional singer-songwriter schemes and the buzzing history of alternative guitar music. All of which makes Ripely Pine a perpetually thrilling collection. "Rooftop" perhaps best serves as an introduction, as its time signature changes, jazzy piano flourishes, arcing violins and chaotic guitar solos expertly frame Spaltro's rich voice and the song's breezy chorus. With every element so well-realized and produced, Lady Lamb The Beekeeper's songs almost become hard to believe, as if they hit upon an idea that was there all along but which nobody else could see. For such impressive imagination, it can only be hoped that Lady Lamb The Birdkeeper is roundly recognized for this collection. Lady Lamb The Beekeeper commences an 11-date headlining tour at Brighton Music Hall in Boston May 9; the complete dates of said tour are listed right here. Order Ripely Pine from Ba Da Bing on double LP or CD here. -- Edward Charlton





>> We were very excited to see earlier this week that two of Clicky Clicky's favorite Boston musical enterprises have combined forces. Midriff Records announced Thursday that it will release later this year Dark Spring, the forthcoming fifth full-length from psych-pop veterans Guillermo Sexo. Clicky Clicky readers will recall we dropped some knowledge about the long player in January in our review of the precedent EP Bring Down Your Arms. No release date for Dark Spring has been given, but we will certainly let you know when we know, because knowing is half the battle. For now, treat yourself to another spin through Bring Down Your Arms, which is embedded below.

Comedy Minus One Hits Refresh On Out-Of-Print Silkworm, Rarities

One of our major concerns about indie rock -- and particularly the beloved early '90s indie rock we were reared on -- is all the music that goes out of print and/or never makes the leap to digital availability. Case in point: right now superlative indie act Lilys are selling the last virgin CD copies of the 1994 masterpiece Eccsame The Photon Band right now via its MySpace yert. According to a MySpace bulletin, the implosion of Spin Art Records "has somehow managed to take the rights and masters for the first 3 Lilys albums down with it." Incidentally, the fall of Spin Art, whose early catalog we hold particularly dear, is perhaps one of the most under-reported and unexplained occurrences in indie music in the last couple of years.

But we're straying far from our point, which is that some people are doing their best to make sure that the exemplary sounds of days and labels gone by continue to be available. One such person is Jon Solomon and his recently launched label enterprise Comedy Minus One. You may recall we reported here in October that CMO was issuing digitally certain records from the fabulous Karl Hendricks catalog, in addition to issuing the CD version of Bottomless Pit's solemn debut Hammer Of The Gods. Well, we received news today that the label is once again stepping into the breach to rescue from undeserved obsolescence a number of fantastic titles related to well-known, tragically scuttled Bottomless Pit-precursor Silkworm. The renowned indie act -- whose drummer was senselessly killed by a suicidal driver in 2006 -- released some records in the early '90s on labels that were not suited for the long haul. Among these is one that Mr. Solomon deems "the best record of the 1990s," Silkworm's black celebration Libertine. Originally issued by El Recordo in 1994, Comedy Minus One has shouldered the responsibility of digitally issuing the set for the first time. The wonderfully written and recorded Libertine contains much top-shelf indie rock music, not the least of which is the unparalleled album opener "There Is A Party Tonight In Warsaw," as well as the tracks "Wild In My Day," "Couldn't You Wait?," "Grotto Of Miracles" and "Cotton Girl."

But that is not all. Comedy Minus One will also issue digitally: the Chokes! EP [link], the final studio recordings from Silkworm tracked during 2005 with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago (the set was previously made available on CD by 12XU); Tim Midgett's It Goes Like This [link], originally released in 2002 as part of Three Lobed Recordings' "Purposeful Availment" CD subscription series; Ein Heit's 1997 set The Lightning & The Sun [link] which reunited Silkworm with Joel Phelps; and, finally, The Crust Brothers' Marquee Mark [link], a December 1997 performance at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle by a band comprising popular solo artists and former Pavement-fronter Stephen Malkmus and the three members of Silkworm.

Comedy Minus One's next physical release will be the Oxford Collapse Hann-Byrd 12." The digital releases noted above will arrive the same month. In the meantime, however, feast your ears on an MP3 from each of the sets.

Silkworm -- "Couldn't You Wait" -- Libertine
Silkworm -- "Bar Ice" -- Chokes!
Tim Midgett -- "Portable Life" -- It Goes Like This
Ein Heit -- "Summer" -- The Lightning & The Sun
The Crust Brothers -- "You Ain't Going Nowhere" -- Marquee Mark
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[keep checking back at the CMO web sites linked above to see when the buy links go live]

Today's Hotness: Ringo Deathstarr, The Notwist, Daytrotter

>> Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you above the new Ringo Deathstarr video for the Jesus And Mary Chain-arific track "Some Kind Of Sad." It's quirky, in kind of a "Lovecats" vein. Scroll down to our earlier item listing The Deathstarr's upcoming tour dates. The other really good video we encountered today is for the new Morrissey jam, "That's How People Grow Up," which will be included on a forthcoming hits package from the fabled former Smiths fronter. The clip makes us want to see him perform even more than when we posted (and unposted) "The First Of The Gang To Die" here. Watch "That's How People Grow Up" at Pantsfork here.

>> Bradley's Almanac's excellent 2008 preview contains some particularly exciting news for us: there will be a new Notwist record this spring. At least according to the Notwist-Ultras.com blog, which we had never encountered before. A post there in late November reported that the recording was completed and that the set was being mastered in November and December 2007. The name of the new set, which will be The Notwist's sixth, has not yet been disclosed, but it will likely be released by City Slang in April or May. Longtime fans will be interested to note that founding drummer Martin Messerschmidt has left The Notwist, and that drumming in the new record was executed by Masha Qrella and Saroos timekeeper Andreas Haberl. Mr. Haberl will also drum on planned German tour dates. We reviewed the excellent DVD "On | Off The Record," which memorialized the making of Notwist's superlative 2002 set Neon Golden, right here last February. The Notwist contributed to the excellent Morr compilation Putting The Morr Back In Morrissey, which was released in 2000. We're posting their selection, a clicktronic instrumental called "Scoop," below.

The Notwist -- "Scoop" -- Putting The Morr Back In Morrissey
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[buy Notwist recordings from Newbury Comics here]

>> We think the sidebar to this Des Moines Register piece about Wolfgang's Vault's purchase of a majority stake in Daytrotter.com has the most interesting information. Daytrotter plans to record more well-known artists (Death Cab For Cutie and Stephen Malkmus are offered as examples); remove older recordings from the web site and sell them as high-quality MP3s; and press certain recording sessions to limited edition (500-1,000 copies) vinyl LPs. Which all sound like excellent ideas to us. Kudos to you, Daytrotter.