by Kate Hoos | Jul 20, 2021
Lung (photo by Rachelle Caplan via Facebook)
Lung is a Cincinnati based cello and drum duo who I have known going on five years now. I was absolutely jaw on the floor blown away the first time I saw them (playing with the great Trophy Wife in the summer of 2016); that awe has not faded since and they have become one of my absolute favorite bands. They continue to raise the bar again and again with every release- a rare feat as every artist hits their slumps or can miss the mark with any given song or album- but that seems to have completely missed this band.
Not only is their music captivating and starkly original, they are one of the hardest working bands I have ever met. Before the pandemic, they were touring relentlessly and on top of that, always went out of their way to help other bands. They helped out with booking touring bands coming through town even if they weren’t in town themselves, and were also an integral part of Ladyfest Cincinnati (they have also been awesome to my bands any time I’ve asked for shows out their way). They released a spectacular split LP in April with SKRT on Romanus Records which featured beautiful artwork and came in several colorful variants. Then barely taking a breath, almost immediately followed it up with the single “Sun God,” quickly followed by “Air.” Both singles are on the upcoming album Come Clean Right Now.
They describe themselves as a “powerhouse cello and drum duo” and that is definitely very true, but there is so much more to it than that. For those who are unfamiliar with this band, let’s also get it out of the way that this is not chamber music, of course there is nothing wrong with chamber music (and is probably also a first thought for many when they hear the word “cello”), but this is ROCK– very clear hard rock and punk influence runs throughout all of their releases- and one can almost hear a hardcore or a metal band shredding out many of their riffs.
Cellist and classically trained vocalist Kate Wakefield expertly handles double duty, providing the dynamics on both ends of the spectrum. The high end is covered with vocals that glide effortlessly over top of the chugging and commanding cello- which is run through distortion pedals into dual bass amps- while drummer Daisy Caplan deftly anchors the entire thing. Caplan holds things together with driving beats punctuated with hard hitting flams and a style that isn’t overly fill heavy- though he definitely knows exactly where to punch a fill in when needed- to compliment the other aspects of the given composition. The wrong drummer could absolutely trample and ruin these songs rather than add to them, so he is the perfect second half of this musical equation.
Their sound can be described with words like bombastic, dark, intense- but also subtle and introspective at times- there is just so much nuance. While they have experimented in the studio before, particularly with layering Wakefield’s operatic vocals, with these new singles they are taking even more advantage of the studio environment in a way that has enhanced the music and made it sound positively gigantic in comparison with their earlier albums. The vocals are still gorgeously layered, multiple tracks harmonized with each other, and the cello and drums sound even bigger than ever before like they are poised and ready to fill a stadium.
On “Air,” a frantic cello riff opens the track with a complimenting rapid fire floor tom pattern keeping pace before the song very quickly e x p l o d e s into the chorus- an absolutely MASSIVE and visceral wall of sound that crashes into the listener like a wrecking ball. The lyrics are a fervent plea to a lover- who is revered, needed more than water or air or anything else- and the strong emotions Wakefield is conveying are palpable throughout.
The bridge of the song gave me serious 90s alt rock vibes with the cello heading high and the vocals sweeping and swirling in layers to match. The song then returns to the verse- the drums softening in the background- before the music drops out for two measures letting the vocals ring out alone and then all of a sudden the chorus comes smashing back in closing the song out. It is all very rapid fire and over in just under three minutes. I found myself having to catch my breath after the first listen, like what the hell just happened?! (in a very very good way) before hitting the repeat button multiple times. To say I need the entire album in my life as soon as possible is an understatement; I can’t wait until its out so I can dive right into the sure to be wonderful depths.
Lung at Ladyfest Cincinnati, Oct 2017 (photo by Kate Hoos)
Check out this article which gives more details on the process the band used to write and record the album during the pandemic in 2020.
Like many other bands in 2020/2021, Lung had to cancel dozens of tour dates (including a set at Punk Island) but will be returning to the road this fall for a lengthy tour with Mac Sabbath. Check the tour poster for when they’ll be in your city.
Watch the music video for “Air” below
Come Clean Right Now is out 8/20/21 on Sofaburn Records.
by Kate Hoos | Jul 17, 2021
The Cocker Spaniels have released a brand new single “Racism Priest” in advance of the new album, The Cocker Spaniels Are Still Alive and So Are You. Cocker Spaniels is the (essentially solo) project of Sean Padilla, a well known booking agent who describes himself as “a 40-year-old Black dad who likes Prince and Guided by Voices a lot, so I try to make music that splits the difference.” Padilla sings and performs almost everything himself on the single as well as on the upcoming album (his kids accompany on a few songs).
Lyrically “Racism Priest,” confronts the poison of white guilt head on- you know the thing that many seemingly well meaning white people do when they unload on their Black friends (or worse, strangers) to try to somehow wipe their conscience clean of past transgressions. While they may think they are doing something helpful, they don’t realize that what they are actually asking for is serious emotional labor which is exhausting for the person on the receiving end. Padilla doesn’t mince words, beginning the song with “I’m not a racism priest, I can’t absolve you of your sin, confessing to me won’t wash your soul as white as your skin” which is also repeated in each chorus.
He goes on to cite several examples of micro-aggressions while also acknowledging, sure it’s great you want to change now that you feel you no longer have a choice, “but don’t make the change contingent on me forgiving you.” The bridge of the song is devoted to the ways that, instead of trying to feel less guilty through burdening Black people or by making empty gestures, white people can go out and do the actual work for themselves to be better, question their lives, and “make Christmas awkward by calling out your mom’s beliefs.”
Padilla said this of the single: “This song was inspired by a White person with whom I attended middle school, who privately messaged my spouse on Instagram last year to apologize for having called Black people the N-word when she was younger (when she and I were classmates). I had no idea that the slur had ever been in her vocabulary but, then again, that may be why she apologized to my spouse, whom she only knows through the internet, instead of to me. It was an awkward situation that instantly killed our friendship.“
Musically, the song delightfully meets at the junction of lo-fi funk and shoegaze with supreme pop sensibilities. Starting out with shimmery, layered guitars and jangly tambourine, both instruments quickly drop out to let a slightly fuzzy funk bass line take over, meandering alongside warbly organ and steady subtle drums that drive the pulse of the track throughout. Harmonized vocals punctuate the bridge before the song heads into the crescendo- the drums pick up in earnest, the guitars come back, and Padilla croons some epic high notes right as a killer guitar solo kicks in to bring the track home.
“Racism Priest” is a perfect exhibit that a song need not be loud or fast with shouted vocals to make pointed social commentary, and an indie pop song can be just as sharp in assessing the problems occurring in the world as any punk rock record. And if this is the first taste of the new album, I am really very excited to hear what else is in store.
Sean Padilla of The Cocker Spaniels (photo by Nathaniel Arcadipane)
The Cocker Spaniels Are Still Alive and So Are You is out 8/13 on Evil Island Fortress; pre-orders for a limited edition cassette are available now on Bandcamp; “Racism Priest” is streaming on all major platforms.
by Chantal | Jul 14, 2021
Summer is a great time to listen to short, blasting singles, and Cathedral Ceilings (which features FTA contributing writer NickAD) have you more than covered with their newest release I’m A Band! The double single contains the tracks “Hamilton Circuits” and “Over The Far and Hills Away,” and both are concise slices of punk pop. A worthy followup to last years Thanks For The Guitar, Mommy (which also was two tracks long), the Jersey-based band shows no signs of slowing down, offering up yet more ‘drum-along-hard-on-your-steering-wheel’ songs for our pleasure.
Both tracks are carried along by driving drums and with plenty of riffs, fills and pauses, move away from a basic power pop four beat. I get the sense that these three guys could absolutely hack it in a math rock band, but wanted to let loose instead. And let loose they do, with soaring catchy vocals and never-ending energy.
Grab the single on lathe cut 7-inch from Dromedary Records (I’m a big fan of the children’s book-inspired cover art) or stream it- they only have four songs up on Spotify and all are under three minutes in length, so you’ve got not excuse not to cue them up right now.
by Kate Hoos | Jul 11, 2021
The Muslims is a “crunchy kickass punk band of Black and brown queer muzzies,” They make no bones about how they feel about fascists, or any other similar kind of nonsense and they never have. They have never held back on making their views crystal clear and are never shy to dispense the snark in either their lyrics or on social media, also letting everyone who lands on their Bandcamp page know “your racist dad is a piece of shit and THIS IS NOT A SAFE SPACE.” They are a master class in being explicitly and uncompromisingly political while also being sarcastic and funny as hell in the process.
2020 was a garbage year for sure, but one of the few bright spots along the way was the release of their stellar full length, Gentrified Chicken, as well as the single Merry Jihad. Flash forward to summer 2021 and they are back, this time with their first release for Epitaph Records, the single “Fuck These Fuckin Fascists.” And true to form, they give absolutely zero fucks about your racist uncle or your feelings if you’re a fascist or apologist.
Unsurprisingly, some of the punk (aka “punk”) crowd of the older white male variety was up in arms in the YouTube comment section on the accompanying music video for the song- as this Loudwire article details. The article really misses the mark in my opinion, with the title ridiculously stating “The Muslims Cause A Stir” when no, they aren’t causing a stir at all, they are speaking the truth and their lived experiences, it’s the butthurt old white bros causing the “stir.” Because god forbid anyone but straight white Christian cis men have an opinion on anything, political or not.
On their Instagram the band addressed the backlash saying “let’s keep it stack: we’re not getting hate for being an anti-fascist and anti-establishment punk band, we’re getting hate for being an anti-fascist and anti-establishment punk band that is Black and brown and queer and Muslims. LITERALLY THAT’S IT!!” One has to wonder what the reaction of these same trolls would be if an all white, all cis male band created the same exact song…but it’s pretty safe to say we all know what it would be…….
Musically speaking the song is an old schoolish punk bop with plenty of pop sensibilities and a crunchy bite. The guitar buzzes with a sharp rhythm attack, anchoring the tune, while a fun bass line playfully bounces all around just below the guitar. The lyrics call out “white ass pride,” crusties who walk around with Nazi symbols on their clothes, apologists who look the other way when confronted with these so called “punks,” and those who seek to shame a band like The Muslims for “fuck(ing) things up.” The chorus is a gleeful singalong in the making, declaring “fuck these fuckin fascists, fuck their families and friends, if they defend a fuckin fascist they can fuck off til they’re dead.” As the band returns to playing live shows, they are sure to have this shouted back to them each and every night.
The absolutely EPIC cover art was created by illustrator Cristy Road and features Johnny Rotten getting socked right in the face. Yeah THAT guy aka the leader of the punk boy band the Sex Pistols who is currently living out his twilight years as a Tory/right wing clown. “God save rotten” indeed.
If any further proof beyond their previous releases was required that The Muslims is simply one of the best and most important bands making punk music today, it’s right here in this single. I for one can’t wait to see what their next full length holds.
The Muslims at Punk Island 2019 (photo by Jeanette D. Moses)
“Fuck These Fuckin Fascists” is out now on Epitaph Records and available to purchase on Bandcamp or stream on Spotify.
by Ellen Qbertplaya | Jul 8, 2021
Lucy Dacus at Webster Hall, December 2019 (photo by Ellen Qbertplaya)
Lucy Dacus’ new album, Home Video, invites listeners into her life with songs full of stories from her past. Musically speaking, for her third full album, she sings with the experience of someone already with two wonderful albums under her belt, but this time also proffering a greater sense of introspection.
The title of this album makes me think of how some people back in the day kept their memories in the form of VHS tapes, watching them over and over to relive significant moments. While nostalgia may propel a lot of repeat viewings, there might be feelings of regret, wistfulness…whatever. The viewer’s current state and baggage cannot be separated from the act of reliving the past. And after a while, those videotapes would oftentimes degrade and get fuzzy, becoming unwatchable.
Dacus examines themes of her religious upbringing, budding sexuality, friendship, and self-identity from a personal perspective and infuses them throughout the album. For this collection of eleven songs, she dug into her diaries that she started keeping at an early age. And though these stories are uniquely hers and beautifully sung in her voice, I could not help but relate to many of her situations causing me to recall my own awkward teenage and young adult years (and also making me wish in earnest I had chronicled my thoughts during those times). If I had had the stellar Home Video as a companion during those bumpy times, maybe I might not have felt so alone with my own struggles.
On the song “Christine,” Dacus talks about a friend who has a crummy boyfriend, and how if the friend were to marry him “…I’d object / Throw my shoe at the altar and lose your respect / I’d rather lose my dignity / Than lose you to somebody who won’t make you happy.” I’ve lost a few good friendships because of a friend pairing with someone less than ideal, and sometimes wonder if I should have said something early on.
The strongest song on the album is the climactic “Thumbs,” which Dacus has been performing as part of her live set for a while and has become a fan favorite. I heard her sing the song when she ended her set with it at Webster Hall in December 2019, and was totally knocked out by the lyrics. She describes accompanying a friend to a meeting with an estranged parent, and all the thoughts running through her mind during the meeting, including wanting to press her thumbs on her friend’s father’s eyeballs until they burst. The visual is certainly graphic, but effectively conveys her sense of loyalty and desire to protect that friend at all costs, even to the point of (symbolic) bodily harm.
Perhaps the most surprising track on Home Video is “Partner in Crime,” in which Dacus uncharacteristically employs auto-tune. In the song, she is unsure if her relationship with this person is deeper than just a friendship, or whether it is veering into romantic territory. She mentions drinking coffee and misrepresenting her age perhaps to appear more sophisticated. While the use of auto-tune initially caught me off guard, as I listen to the song more and more, it works well as the narrator is putting on a facade to mask her true self, of which we all are guilty at times.
There’s an old saying that goes something like, “You can never go home again.” I take it to mean that with hindsight at our disposal, we cannot return to the same state as when we went through something initially. That with time, subsequent experiences, and knowledge, it all shapes how we view something from the past. And with each repeat listening of Home Video, I’ve been replaying my own parallel memories of days gone by, revisiting some unresolved feelings, and contemplating some what ifs. Dacus’ strength lies in her ability to deftly draw in listeners with wry, relatable lyrics and vividly detailed storytelling, but in a completely natural and gorgeous way.
Home Video was released on June 25, 2021 on Matador Records.
by Chantal | Jun 20, 2021
Gold Chorus, the debut album from Brooklyn-based No Kill, may start with synths but it’s certainly a guitar driven record. Jamie Cogar, the woman behind No Kill, credits 90’s grunge radio as an influence on her guitar playing, but the sound on Gold Chorus leans more toward shoegaze, drenching listeners with fuzz. Yet melody is never lost, and the tracks on the album tend toward catchy rather than meandering, driven along by precise bass and drums.
Cogar’s voice may be a bit breathy, but her guitar work is solid, chords thick and churning underneath. The reverb-tinged vocals are pulled forward in the mix, and this combination lends an airy yet grounded quality to the record. Cogar has self-described her sound as “sweet but with teeth,” and it’s an apt description.
Two singles released in advance of the full length, “Swooning” and “Eddie Vedder,” are well chosen, as they are the strongest tracks. (”Eddie Vedder” is incidentally the third song I’ve heard with that title, and it’s my favorite so far.) “Swooning” is accompanied by a dreamy music video. Other highlights are “Tremolo” and the floating, droning closer “A Place.” The first half of the record is stronger than the latter, but overall it’s a pleasing debut, and with the return of live music this is an album I would like to see performed.
Gold Chorus comes out 6/25/21 on Fear of Missing Out Records and Substitute Scene Records. No Kill can be found on Spotify and Bandcamp.
