Down Is Up discusses music that falls slightly under the radar of our usual coverage: demos and self-releases, as well as output from small or overlooked labels and communities. This week, Jenn Pelly begins discussing some overlooked 2013 records that are worth another listen.
The Courtneys: "90210" on Bandcamp
The Courtneys - The Courtneys (Hockey Dad)
I was late to the Courtneys, and I wish I'd heard their self-titled 12" sooner—these eight upbeat songs beg to soundtrack the highs and lows of summertime. The Vancouver post-punk trio takes cues from the Dunedin jangle-pop sound of 80s and 90s Flying Nun bands, and at times its ramshackle aesthetic and subtle punk spirit recall the more deadpan corners of early UK indie pop. The Courtneys' wit and attitude are immediately apparent: the custom-branded snapback on their LP cover, the record's lovelorn ode to Keanu Reeves, its song about a quaint and unshakeable crush ("Delivery Boy"), the punchy one made for breezy drives to the ocean ("90210") with a hazy video full of beachside imagery...
You may be wondering: Who could possibly want more of this sort of thing following the 2010 boom of subpar bands that fit that description? It's a fair question, which makes it even more unbelievable that the Courtneys are able to breathe life into this kind of slacker pop in 2013. The songs glide with an air of effortlessness, but repeat listens reveal their depth. The lyrics are often smart, resonant, and at times existential; the musicianship is tight, the hooks are sharp, the songcraft is dynamic. And alongside the sing-song bubblegum themes, darker shades and bottled feelings chug through. Musings on self-governance eventually define the jobless, minimum wage-blues of "Insufficient Funds"—"You can work for yourself!" chants singer Jen Twynn Payne, who (impressively) is also the drummer, and a one-time member of Mac DeMarco's old band Makeout Videotape. Meanwhile, their seemingly sunny "90210" anthem culminates with Jen getting emotional near the sea, thinking about someone she'll only see in her dreams or when she dies. But the music is primarily fun. This might make The Courtneys seems thematically scattered, but real life is that way, too.
Puce Mary: "Man" on SoundCloud.
Puce Mary - Success (Posh Isolation)
Last summer I was preparing to interview Danish downer-rock band Lower when I came across a big group photo featuring participants in the Copenhagen punk and noise scene—the community surrounding venue/practice space Mayhem and Posh Isolation, a label and shop. There's been plenty of discussion surrounding this scene over the past three years and bands like Iceage, Lower, and Vår, among others. What struck me about this image was that only one woman was pictured. I learned she was Frederikke Hoffmeier, a solo power-electronics artist who goes by Puce Mary and has also played drums in the band Timeless Reality.
Hoffmeier's debut LP as Puce Mary (which follows years of limited edition tapes and collaborative projects) could find an audience beyond those interested in the city from which she hails; it's one of the more plainly frightening industrial noise records I've heard in 2013. Success is all air-tight tension, with little release. There are patches of mechanic spoken word hovering about, authoritative and unsettling, over a tightly built industrial churn. Elsewhere ominous drones are cut with piercing slivers of razor sharp electronics or dark, clouded abstractions of crashing noise. "Unnatural Practices" carries the sound of an alarm signaling endlessly over a rhythmic rumble, a feeling of real terror, as if a kind of death is imminent. Near the end, Hoffmeier's experimentations emulate the sound of something screaming its soul out. It feels filmic, like something you would very much enjoy surviving through.
Hysterics: "Outside In" on SoundCloud.
Hysterics - Can't I Live EP (M'Lady's)
The self-titled 7" from Olympia, Wash.'s Hysterics was one of the best hardcore EPs in recent years, a brutal mix of personal and political messages by whiplash-speed screamer Stephie C. Her often profound observations can resist oppression or rip through the toxicity of modern corporate brainwash. Hysterics are an undeniable force, and Stephie spits her words so fast she could give just about any rising rapper a run for his or her money.
On this year's six-song Can't I Live 7", the band's blurred blast finds Cristol shrieking messages of discontent, fighting against the mind-numbing moments of disengagement that define too much of online life. Working off the rage of the last EP, Hysterics' aesthetic has broadened. They sound savage as ever, with eyes open to the world around them, but here they stretch out to the occasional wider-stanced riff. Stephie's manic articulation more often brilliantly deconstructs syllables into interpretive mutant play, and at one point her buried vocals fall surreally under a mix of noise-guitar experimentation. As a whole, it's more detailed and poetic, with harder-hitting production, and (somehow) it's actually faster.
"Leave Me Alone" is one of my favorite tracks—on the street, and outside society, with no desire to give up name nor age nor destination, nor to crack a smile. "Leave me alone! Don't waste my time!" comes an empowering all-caps group vocal. "Or my space! Can't you see/ I'm a human being!" On Side B, the four-minute "Please Sir" is another highlight, repurposing religious language for what seems like a critique of those who wrongly make judgment calls on others (a reality in everyday life and law-making alike, called "mainsplaining" in some cultures). "Words well up in your mouth/ Time's ripe to impart," Stephie shouts, an audibly sarcastic tone curled into her voice. "That weight in your jeans is just too much to haul."
She continues:
The loudest voice makes the wisest man,
Please sir/ Bestow upon me your invaluable gifts,
The world as it is through your eyes,
My lenses clouded by the thing that I am,
Cleanse me with knowledge and perspective,
Your opinion descends in splendor and grace,
Will you let me raise my eyes to your face?
It is yet another entry into a short but worthy catalogue tackling real injustice without sacrificing artistry. Hysterics have a track from Can't I Live, the 48-second total sonic assault of "Psychic Drain", on the upcoming Beyond Inverstion benefit compilation, which is available to stream in full right now (via Rookie).
Update: The Hysterics Can't I Live 7" EP has been pushed to January.