Got a new review up at Dusted, this one of the Seattle punk band Talbot Tagora’s first full length, which is called, Lessons in the Woods or a City. It came out today on Hardly Art, which is more or less Sub Pop, only different.
Talbot Tagora filters ’90s no wave post-punk through a grit-clogged lo-fi filter, sideways hopping over unpredictable anti-rhythms and making stomach-jolting leaps over irregular clusters of notes. Repetitive, psyche-battering noise obscures things – most of the songs sound like there was a jackhammer nearby during recording – yet, after a couple of times through, it’s easy enough to discern pop hooks. Their blend of lurching mechanical grind and teasing, just-out-of-focus tunefulness evokes the Pixies early on, Sonic Youth later, Swell Maps intermittently, Ubu sometimes, yet really none of the current crop of lo-fi-ers. You can look all you want for fashionable references to Jesus & Mary Chain or C86, but this is a whole different animal.
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I saw TT open for Abe Vigoda last week, they were great. Kinetic but totally wrecked. I like how you put it, awkwardness is part of the charm.
ReplyDeleteSigned, fledgling journalism student/reader of Dusted.
Thanks Chase, do you live in Seattle?
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Abe Vigoda either, lucky you!
I actually live in Arizona, Abe Vigoda's new drummer is from here. They are a must see! They just played the Whitney, sure they're stopping off in Philly.
ReplyDeletedon't actually live in Philly, unfortunately, just write for their alt.weekly.
ReplyDeleteI live in southern new hampshire and mostly go to shows in the Northampton MA area (occasionally boston, but it's a nasty three hour drive home, so only when it's absolutely necessary.)
Nice to meet you.
jenny