Review: Perfect Pussy | Say Yes To Love

"We're Perfect Pussy, and we're terrified." So spake Meredith Graves, fronter of Perfect Pussy, just as the hotly tipped act lurched into "Big Stars," a standout track from its debut long-player Say Yes To Love last week at NPR's SXSW showcase. The statement was delivered, perhaps, with a knowing wink; fear was likely the furthest thing from her mind. Here was a band that six months ago couldn't beg their way onto a hometown bill, now opening up for the likes of Damon Albarn and St. Vincent. Just today it was announced that the band would perform on the final day of the Pitchfork Music Festival this July.

Here's the thing, though: with the release Tuesday of Say Yes To Love, the band has clearly grown into its success.

The debut from the seemingly fearless Syracuse noise-punk quintet operates largely within the same sonic framework as its furious, legend-making four-song demo tape I Have Lost All Desire For Feeling -- all crushing distortion and wide-eyed, mantra-like screams from frontwoman Ms. Graves -- but the new set just feels bigger. Sure, some of that je ne sais quoi may be reflected attention received lately from within the music blogosphere. But one gets the feeling with Perfect Pussy that its boiling Say Yes To Love was going to be a massive, bold statement whether 10 people or 10,000 or even 100,000 people heard it [the preview track "Interference Fits" has been streamed about 70,000 times at Soundcloud to date. -- Ed.]. The Syracuse hardcore scene from which the band emerged is now just a jumping-off point; on its new collection Perfect Pussy transcend straight-ahead punk and grasp a sound and a vision far more interesting.

Interviews with keyboard player/in-house producer and engineer Shaun Sutkus reveal that the band's signature, headphone crackling distortion, which cakes the band's instruments and vocals on Say Yes To Love, is the final ingredient added during a Perfect Pussy recording session. Only after first obtaining clean drum and guitar tracks do Mr. Sutkus and Graves streak thick, visceral noise all over the mix. In an era where the lines between mainstream pop and indie rock are increasingly blurred, there's something refreshing about a band purposely marring perfectly good pop songs in an effort to achieve an ideal sonic aesthetic.

So, the name. On the surface, choosing it seems as subversive as the group's searing, noise-slathered sound, perhaps an immature headline-grabbing move from a careerist group bent on leveraging the sexual politics of punk to sell records. Well, A., it's not, and B., this record probably won't sell that many copies (Captured Tracks has Mac Demarco and DIIV on the roster for that). In point of fact, the name-too-explicit-to-be-printed-in-uptight-publications is the product of the extreme self-consciousness Graves has grappled with throughout her life, she has said in interviews. Call the moniker, instead, an act of defiant self-definition, even social protest: Graves finding strength within perceived weakness concerning her body image.

Another common Perfect Pussy talking point is the band's decision to bury the vocals low in the mix. Graves has a well-conceived and entirely legitimate retort for critics of the sound: she's a loudmouth, always has been, always will be. And so the genesis of Perfect Pussy's scorched-earth sound has roots in Graves' desire to speak out, even if no one will -- or can, given all the noise -- listen. The band's audible meshing of music and lyrics spurs a practice largely faded from the post-Napster music-listening landscape: following along the lyric sheet while listening, as one did, for example, listening to New York Hardcore records in the '80s and '90s (incidentally, Perfect Pussy's bio namechecks mighty NYHC legends Cro-Mags). Perfect Pussy is at its most exciting when Graves shouts loud enough to be heard over the din, as with her titular query "Since when do we say yes to love?" between the sludgy guitar riffs in the aforementioned "Interference Fits." Or the TMI declarations that punctuate late album highlight "Dig": "I WANT TO FUCK MYSELF / I WANT TO EAT MYSELF."

Behind the fury and emotional turmoil of these tracks lies a band truly enamored with sound. The fivesome smartly zags instead of zigs with its choice of ending the EP. The ambient noise collage "VII" is the slow roll back to start on a roller coaster: an easy sway back down to Earth following an intense fifteen minute ride. Say Yes To Love is out now via venerable Brooklyn label Captured Tracks and can be ordered on LP, CD or cassette right here; download codes provide access to bonus live recordings, which we'll be eager to hear. The band is currently on tour and is slated to be in town April 24 at the Middle East with Canadian experimental collective Yamantanka/Sonic Titan. Full tour dates and links for the Perfect Pussy's debut EP can be found here. -- Dillon Riley

Perfect Pussy: Bandcamp | Tumblr

Today's Hotness: Chandeliers, Universal Disappointment Sponge, Best Practices

>> Boston's dark and stormy noise pop concern Chandeliers -- who also will not be playing the newly announced Boston Calling festival Memorial Day Weekend -- returned a couple weeks ago with new music under the deceptively mundane title Monday EP. The actually quite electrifying five-song set picks up where the trio left off with last year's brilliant Big-Shot Weekend cassette. Meaning the band's frenetic intensity, characteristically murky vocals and fiery guitar work remain intact and propel these five new compositions to such great heights. Opener "Swim Gym" sets a brisk pace (indeed, none of the songs here runs more than 152 seconds), thrashing through a waltz-timed bridge underpinned by crushing drumming. "Temperance" lightens the mood substantially, showcasing the band at perhaps its most straightforward and melodic. EP closer "Not Smart (Just Well Educated)" commences with bright, lean lead guitar, but plunges quickly into a pool of reverb and jangle interrupted only by the recurrence of the bright opening theme. It's worth emphasizing how fiercely independent Chandeliers are, as this is yet another dynamite collection that the band self-recorded, self-mixed and self-mastered. Monday is available to stream now at Bandcamp, and the band aims to have it released on 7" vinyl, which we hope means there is a label out there smart enough to recognize these guys are the realest of real deals. Stream Monday via the embed below.



>> Fans of Fashoda Crisis earlier this month were gifted a cracking collection of songs from band fronter Sim Ralph's slightly less vitriolic but entirely more mad side project Universal Disappointment Sponge. The new Essex, England-based concern wasn't exactly a secret, as there had been scattered mentions among the more recent social media missives from Fashoda Crisis, but we certainly didn't expect the five-song set Time To Surrender Puny Earthlings to drop into our digital laps last week. The short collection was recorded in January and is presently available as a pay-what-you-like download that comes packaged with guitar tabs and lyrics, a nice embellishment that we'd certainly like to see more of from bands. Along with Mr. Ralph, who's commanding vocals are plainly evident here, the new quartet includes vocalist Chrissy, bassist Dave and drummer J. The first number on the EP, "The Lost Art Of Steeplejacking," begins with some sort of ranting about tapes, an a capella chant backed by screaming, which ushers in a start-and-stop stone groove and layered guy-girl vocals that approximate some form of dementia. Things get weirder and more rocking from there. The subdued verses of "Lemon The Pole" are feints that set off heavy, wiry choruses, which of course leads to a breaking of the fourth wall, and some dialogue ("look, the pole's not going to lemon itself"), before the song leaps back into a grinding, heads-down boogie. Universal Disappointment Sponge have lined up a handful of gigs beginning in late March, and should you be lucky enough to be based in the UK we exhort you to get out and see what they've got up their musical sleeves. In the meantime, treat yourself to the stream of Time To Surrender Puny Earthlings that we've embedded below for just such a purpose. Fashoda Crisis' most recent output is the Jowls Of Justice EP, which was released digitally to the Bandcamps of the world in mid-January; check it out here.



>> A third tremendous new release from mid-February was given unto us by Best Practices, the Providence-based melodic hardcore titans responsible for last year's exhilarating and almost-hilariously brief The EP LP (which we wrote about here a year ago). The quartet released Feb. 19 a soaring new EP titled Sore Subjects; somewhat ridiculously, the new EP is actually about a minute shorter than last year's single-sided, 12-minute opus (which makes us think we haven't heard a band get so much done in so little time since the first couple of Calories releases). The music on Best Practices' new collection, which is available as a pay-what-you-like download at Bandcamp now, fizzes with the same volatile energy and imagination that drives the music of legends like Drive Like Jehu and Fucked Up. But it also echoes '90s indie rockers such as Garden Variety... there's that indie rock peanut butter sneaking into their hardcore punk chocolate (mental note: hardcore punk chocolate would be an awesome album title). Sore Subjects' second tune, "Home For Halloween," pitches the curve via the soft acoustic guitar opening, but the song is quickly overtaken by desperate and almost unhinged vocals and Superchunk-at-doubletime guitars. The EP comes to a thrilling climax in the final minute of closer "Brita'd," when a weirdly scrambled lead guitar line convulses across the top of the mix. The EP was largely recorded at Amherst's Dead Air Studios last June with engineer Will Killingsworth, who we find ourselves talking about more and more here at Clicky Clicky. Vocals were recorded in October and earlier this month at Providence DIY space Squid Amps. The EP LP is still available on 12" vinyl from Tiny Engines right here, although as of this writing there are apparently only 16 copies left, so neither dilly nor dally lest you miss out on this gem. Will someone step up and release Sore Subjects on vinyl? We certainly hope so. Stream the EP below.

Clicky Clicky's Top 10s of 2011: MP edition

[Photo of Shit Horse at Habana Bar, Austin, TX 3/16/2011 during SXSW. Photo by Michael Piantigini.]

Twenty aught-eleven was one of those star-aligning years that gifted me with tons of music I like - This year's list is admittedly pretty heavy on my wheelhouse veterans, but how lucky to still get such strong stuff from bands like Buffalo Tom, Five Eight, and the friggin' Feelies! Having taken to heart The Long Winters' John Roderick's admonitions on top 10 lists (and let's hope he gets that new album out in 2012), I offer these 10 for '11 in alphabetical order. Tune in to Clicky Clicky Radio next Thursday, 8-10 pm eastern, and I'll play lots of stuff from these and other great 2011 releases!

Buffalo Tom Skins (Scrawny)
With guitars big and autumn gentle, these beloved Boston mainstays returned with their strongest album in years, and one that could stand up to the reminiscing of their 25th anniversary celebrations later in the year (reviews: night 1/night 2/night 3). [review/buy]



Eleventh Dream Day Riot Now (Thrill Jockey)
Chicago's legends-in-certain-circles take their time and make records when they're ready. Riot Now turns up after a five year gap and Rick Rizzo's feedback and Janet Beveridge Bean's harmonies were worth every moment of the wait. [buy]



The Feelies Here Before (Bar/None)
This year's lottery of unlikely new albums was won by The Feelies who, speaking of gaps, waited 20 years to make their new one. And it sounds just like The Feelies - and I mean that as high praise. [review/buy]



Five Eight Your God Is Dead To Me Now (Iron Horse)
Long-running Athens, GA stalwarts Five Eight take a stand on their 2011 album. They may offer more grown-up perspectives, but never grew out of a youthful existential dilemma. If we're being honest, who does? They continue to strike a nerve. [buy]



Fucked Up David Comes To Life (Matador)
Huge. Just... HUGE. [buy]





The Rationales The Distance In Between
The debut full-length by these Boston Americana-rockers is a warm, guitar comfort food blanket with pop hooks that keep the songs in your head. [buy]




R.E.M. Collapse Into Now (Warner Brothers)
Admittedly, sentimental reasons might have been reason enough for me to put the final R.E.M. album on the list, but this is legit - Collapse Into Now is great on its own terms and is the best R.E.M. album since at least 1996 (put another way: their best in a generation!). A worthy swan song for a band that spent most of their last 15 years in the wilderness. [buy]



Kurt Vile Smoke Ring For My Halo (Matador)
Wherein which Kurt Vile continues to outdo himself with his best batch of songs yet. In the alt-rock (and what-have-you) world, producer John Agnello's credits are untouchable: from Dinosaur Jr to Drive-By Truckers and Sonic Youth to Son Volt (among MANY other greats), he has helped shape the sound of alt rock (and such) for more than a generation. Here, he translates Kurt Vile's stoner daydreams into a lush, earthy headphone cinemascape. [buy]

Wild Flag Wild Flag (Merge)
OK, I'll admit it - if I were numbering the list, this'd likely be number one with a bullet. Has anything so highly anticipated delivered so solidly? Don't see how it would be possible to see them live and not think they're huge rock stars. Now if we can only get people to stop yelling "put a bird on it" at their shows. [buy]


Wussy Strawberry (Shake It)
Wussy's been quietly churning gems out of Cincinatti for a decade (much like co-gutarist/vocalist Chuck Cleaver's band Ass Ponys did for the decade before that), and Strawberry just about snuck out in the last month or so. It's both barnstorming ("Pulverized," for one) and beautiful ("Magnolia," for another). Do your ears and soul a favor and go buy this now and then make your way through the rest of the catalog. [buy]

Bubbling under:
Office of Future Plans - S/T (Dischord)
Obits Moody, Standard and Poor(Sub Pop)
Megafaun - S/T (Hometapes)
And, let's face it - pretty much everything else Merge produced this year, especially Wye Oak's Civilian, Apex Manor's The Year of Magical Drinking, and Mountain Goats' All Eternals Deck [buy]

My 11 favorite shows of '11, in brief and chronological. A bit heavy on the SXSW, as you can see, but it was a fun one:
-Reigning Sound at the Magic Room Gallery - February 17, 2011 [review]
-Shit Horse at Habana Bar - March 16, 2011 (SXSW) [photos]
-Wild Flag at The Parish - March 18, 2011 (SXSW) [photos]
-Eleventh Dream Day at Yard Dog - March 19, 2011 (SXSW) [photos]
-Alejandro Escovedo at The Continental Club - March 20, 2011 (post-SXSW) [review/photos]
-Joe Pernice/Scud Mountain Boys at the Lizard Lounge - August 25, 2011 [review/photos]
-Jeff Mangum at Jordan Hall - September 10, 2011 [review]
-Tommy Keene with Doug Gillard at Church on September 11, 2011 [photos]
-The Low Anthem at Somerville Theatre (and outside) - October 20, 2011 [review]
-The Hush Now/Soccer Mom/Chandeliers at Precinct - October 22, 2011
-Buffalo Tom at Brighton Music Hall - November 25, 2011 (25th Anniversary shows, night 1) [review]

-Michael Piantigini