Dig ‘in: Cardinals, Langkamer, Remember Sports
Check out what the No Wristbands team is listening to and what’s in our show calendars this month on our latest Dig ‘in.
INCOMING
Cardinals - Masquerade (So Young Records LP)
In contrast to their youthful 20-something lives, Cork-based Cardinals come across with an old soul mentality. On their full-length album debut, Masquerade, the Irish quintet ruminate more then they rage. The title track and opener “She Makes Me Real” reveal their collective vulnerabilities as they struggle with mixed messages and missed opportunities. Vocalist/guitarist Euan Manning balances a world weariness with forthright conviction. The band sound defiant on “The Burning of Cork,” which chronicles the 1920’s British torching of the city in the midst of the Irish War of Independence.
Peppered with the emotive accordion playing from Euan’s brother Finn, Cardinals’ songs vacillate between celebration, mourning and redemption. The closing track, “As I Breathe,” finds Euan in search of answers. “Truth is hard to find / I have lived a life inside” comes his confession followed by: “I have so many things / That I don’t need / I need another name / That isn’t hopeless of ashamed / Or unholy.” Masquerade is about authenticity; the struggle to discover one’s true self in a sea of nameless faces. -Bruce Novak
Langkamer - No (Breakfast Records LP)
Bristol, UK’s Langkamer deliver an impressive array of tempos and temperament on their fourth album, No. Lead vocalist and drummer Josh Jarman sets the pace with a deft touch between pushing the beat to create urgency and pulling back to provide some slack. “Crocodile Clock,” “Easterly” and “Crows” are fine examples of the first strategy, building on escalating momentum as they ratchet up the tension. The languid and loping tones of “The Summer That I Hit The Wall” and “Split The Difference” represent the latter approach with Jarman sounding relaxed and reflective.
No is rich in dualities—both a celebration and condemnation of life’s capriciousness. When fabrication threatens to overtake reality, Langkamer makes it clear that they’re not having any of it. -Bruce Novak
Remember Sports - The Refrigerator (Get Better Records LP)
Sensing that the COVID pandemic had forever altered Remember Sports’ capacity to function as a touring band, vocalist and guitarist Carmen Perry starting working as an elementary school teacher near her home in Philadelphia. Experiencing the unfiltered actions and acute vulnerabilities of her students prompted Perry to re-examine her own adolescence as a now thirty-ish adult and formed the basis for the creation of The Refrigerator.
What emerges from the album often feels like out-of-body experiences with Perry hovering over her past encounters in pursuit of newfound insight. On “Fridge” she confesses: “I could spend a thousand years feeling sorry for what I did,” and later admitting that “I’m twenty-eight years old, but I’m still scared like a little kid.” “Ghost,” with its disorienting bagpipe and strings accompaniment, explores the feelings of being unseen by others despite a desire for connection. “Across The Line” and “Selfish” delve into push/pull relationships where each party proves incapable of the meeting in the middle.
In the end, Perry tries to be gracious unto her younger self—“Roadkill” recalls a trip to Chicago (where the band recorded the album at Electrical Audio) and a moment of self-reflection: “The world looks different now,” she offers, “I’ve got glasses on, and the temperature’s come down.” Her vulnerability is exposed when she reveals: “Tenderness devastates me,” but she remains resilient in following with: “I tried checking out, now I’m trying to face myself.” On Refrigerator, Perry scrutinizes her past, but chooses to live in the present. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Zastava at Cole’s Bar - Mar 7, 10:00 PM
Detroit’s Zastava follow a throughline of Motor City noise rock artists from MC5 to Stooges on to Protomartyr. Guitarist Arman Bonislawski stated that he initially was “infatuated with the idea of being in a shoegaze band,” but he and vocalist/guitarist Mateja Matic began veering towards a more aggressive sound after growing weary of the mounting cut and paste approach many bands were taking towards the revived and now trendy genre. Zastava’s debut album, Buildings, that came out last summer is a pressure cooker affair, boiling beneath the surface until blowing off steam becomes the only means of release. I’d expect the band to go all out—delivering high intensity through max effort. -Bruce Novak
The Thing at Empty Bottle - Mar 12, 9:00 PM
Brooklyn’s The Thing headline a stacked triple bill that also features locals The Courts and Uniflora. Their ’60s-adjacent garage psych eschews filigree ornamentation in favor of unvarnished structures and full-throated deliveries. Their self-titled third album, appearing last fall, shows more variance in pacing than their prior releases perhaps reflective of the more leisurely time afforded in recording it over a month’s stay at their tour manager’s East Hampton pool house. Their song “Malört” is sure to find favor in the city in which the liqueur was first introduced, perhaps even earning them goodwill offers of a “Chicago Handshake.” -Bruce Novak
Florry at Empty Bottle - Mar 16, 9:00 PM
Florry’s band leader Francie Medosch started out writing lo-fi indie music with a diaristic, tortured teen approach. That would change when she began to embrace the “Cosmic America Music” championed by Gram Parsons. Medosch’s mother would often play alt-country around the house; combining the likes of Gillian Welch and Wilco along with Parsons and Neil Young. While Francie’s emotional disposition shifted to a happier state, that early lo-fi DIY approach still resonates in present day Florry. The extended band that she assembled from Philadelphian peers certainly brings some chops, but also retains a grittiness that pairs well with her ramshackle approach. Florry infuses rock swagger with the heart-on-the-sleeves sentiments of country—whether that approaches cosmic proportions comes down to the discretion of each listener…I just know that they’re A-OK in my universe! -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Lyres - On Fyre (Ace of Hearts LP)
Back in 1985 I had the pleasure of interviewing Lyres’ Jeff Conolly for the Non*Stop Banter fanzine in advance of their West End Chicago show to promote their debut album On Fyre. Conolly and his band laid waste to the stage that was then being booked by future Lounge Ax co-owner Sue Miller. When I asked Conolly if he considered Lyres a modern day garage band, he replied not technically since it had been about fifteen years since he lived at home and practiced in his parent’s garage, so he preferred just being called a rock ‘n’ roll group. Call it what you may, but there’s no denying the hip-shakin’ big-beat swagger that Conolly and company unleashed out of Boston.
The knockout combo of preceding single “Help You Ann” and “I Really Want You Right Now” are part of the package—the former sounding like Iggy fronting The Sonics and the latter a ripping R&B-saturated rescue plea. The opener “Don’t Give It Up Now” is a Nugget-worthy ’60s-tinged workout, and closing track “Not Like the Other One” is a rock/soul ballad that highlights Conolly’s vocal versatility. Record dealers nicknamed him “Monoman” for his obsessive pursuit of original mono pressings from bands whose records were not readily available. In true fandom fashion, half of On Fyre is comprised of some of Jeff’s favored recordings, from a pair by the Kinks (“Love Me Till The Sun Shines” and “Tired of Waiting”) to Chicago-bred New Colony Six (“I Confess”) and obscurities from Mickey & The Clean Cuts and original Beatles drummer Pete Best.
Recently Conolly has fallen on hard times with a bladder cancer diagnosis that has necessitated chemotherapy treatments and future surgery. A benefit show to raise funds is taking place at The Middle East Club in Cambridge on March 12th that will include Mission of Burma, Classic Ruins and Dogmatics among others. There’s also a GoFundMe campaign where you can donate to help Jeff’s cause. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: