It's a new year here at The Singles Collection, and as the boozy
recollections of last year dissipate along with our hangover, we look
forward to a new decade filled with feverish debauchery and more
singles than you can shake a stylus at. We're still in celebratory
mode here at TSC, and in that spirit, we've uncorked a trio
of triumphant glam/shoegaze/bi-phased platters that revel in the
immutable pleasures that only the cover of night can bring.
We can't think of a better way to start the year than with a new single from Cali's sci-fi glam lords Nothing People, and their hot off the presses “Enemy With an Invitation” b/w “Reinstall” 7″ on the ever-stellar Permanent Records
imprint. There's always been a sort of dilapidated majesty to
what Nothing People do, so it seems oddly fitting that this single is
delivered in a gorgeous, gold-embossed sleeve that resembles a
hoity-toity formal event invitation, as it only furthers the sense of
grandeur one gets from listening to the two tracks contained within. The Raygun-toting swagger of “Enemy With an Invitation” is pitched
somewhere between the full-on bombast of their debut Anonymous and their more nuanced, Quaalude-damaged sophomore effort Late Night,
with sly nods to the ghosts of albums past, yet it remains decidedly
and stridently forward-looking in its bawdy delivery. That ballsy
bravado continues on the flip with “Reinstall”, which, is, hands-down,
one of the best tunes they've ever penned; guitars detonate with
nuclear aplomb, synths burble and a whipsnarl rhythm keeps the
whole thing driving until the very end. Still available right from the
source here.
To follow that, we've got the debut solo outing from Matt Wilga, the There I Go EP on spanking new imprint Labor of Love. The three songs here probably aren't what you'd expect from someone
with a resume that reads like Wilga's (drummer extraordinaire for the
likes of Failures/Bucket Full of Teeth/Cancer Kids). And those
fortunate few that heard the Stoned Ambassadors demo cd-r will have at
least some insight into their sound, but for everyone else, Wilga's
blend of caterwauling shoegaze-sonics, strident vocal
turns and bracing dynamic swells will come as something of a shock,
especially if you came in expecting machine gun-like double-bass and
manic mosh time signatures. On the A-Side, the title-track is awash in
lovelorn disconsolation, as Wilga, doing his best Scott Walker, builds
a gorgeously deadpan tune upon a waltzing cadence and brill
building-style melody. He lets fly on the B-Side with two tracks of A
Place to Bury Strangers-like feedback maelstroms, guitars skronking and
squealing into a gorgeous pink-noise cacophony with hints of melody
ebbing and flowing throughout the tumult. Limited to just 300 copies
in lovely letter pressed sleeves, get it direct from the label and tell
'em we sent ya.
Closing us out this week we've got the debut release from
Chicago's favorite fun time party band, Mickey, “She's So Crazy” b/w “I
am Your Trash” on the venerable HoZac Records. A glam-slam of a platter, the two tracks here are revved up like
a young Marc Bolan on a hot date, brazen in both sound and
attitude, prancing around with its shirt undone to the naval and
glitter in its hair. “She's So Crazy” is a total stomper, with
stardust guitar licks and a (feather) boa-constrictor of a melody that
squeezes you until you burst confetti, and that, coincidentally,
wouldn't have been out of place on Slade Alive. “I'm Your Trash” on the flip isn't quite as raucous, but nevertheless,
it's brawny take on the '78 power-pop formula (think Pezband) makes it
a righteous firecracker in its own right. Available direct from the
label and at a slew of good stores/distros near you.
That's it for this week, but we've got plenty of tricks up our
sleeves in the weeks and months to come, so make sure to stay tuned
to The Singles Collection.
