It’s mid-April and we’ve finally made it through the stacks to a 2020 release. Finally! FINALLY!!
So we’ve been heavily digesting social media in the absence of in person social interaction, and one thing that has been popping up frequently is the “name one record per day that has made you who you are” phenomenon, or whatever it’s called. Over here at Nine Chains HQ, we’re pretty sure that there’d be at least one no wave record in our list, should we ever choose to participate. And that leads us to today’s object of critical investigation, this EP reissue from Portland’s Lithics.
This four-piece minimal primitive punk ensemble ride their bikes on the edges of the no wave neighborhood. There are the requisite angular guitars and rubbery bass involved. And the half-spoken vocals of Aubrey Hornor smack of late 70s or early 80s avant-punk, in a good way. This gang wear their influences on their sleeves, but there is a sense of originality that keeps them from becoming an imitation or a parody of what came before.
The Wendy Kraemer EP has an interesting genesis. Originally self-released by the band on cassette, this is an odds and sods collection of demos, improvisational jams and practice recordings of material that at the time was yet to be released. Ironically, the proceedings work as a package unto itself. Sure, the fidelity of the recordings is all over the map, but that actually adds to the visceral feeling of the music. The folks over at Moone Records must have felt the same way, because they decided to reissue it, and on wax no less.
There are no tracks listed, but discerning listeners will likely make out songs from the group’s more “professional” recordings. That being said, we enjoy listening to the entirety as one big block of tunes that scuttle past in all their scrappy glory.
Moone still have copies of this bad boy over at their online shop, so go ahead and sidle over there and prepare to enjoy yourselves.