Dig ‘in: Squirrel Flower, Croz Boyce, Liberty Belle
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
Squirrel Flower - Say a Prayer to the Gods of Getting Going (Polyvinyl Records LP)
As Ella Williams travelled across the States over the previous couple of years, her gaze was focused inwards as much as she was outwardly observing. Those wanderlust adventures provide the connective tissue that brings together the songs on her new album, Say a Prayer to the Golds of Getting Going. The desire to be interacting with the outside world was reflected in Williams’ inspired choice to hold a free record release show at the Humboldt Park Boat House on a gorgeous evening that was magnified with Squirrel Flower’s tones wafting throughout the vast expanses of the surrounding nature.
“Lately nothings / Been going my way,” Williams confesses on the title track that leads off the record. Later in the song she ruminates: “I feel glory passing by / In 5 years what will be growing? / Can I water the concrete?” On the lovely country-tinged “Not Me,” she’s not ready to cede any ground in observing “This life is free / You gotta take what you can get’ / Not me.” The acoustic-based “Highway Woman” showcases Williams’ quest for immortality; her hunger to create and experience life free of ordinary restraints unfolds leisurely across the ballad—she’s resolute in her artistic pursuit, but not rigid, noting that “You can change it as you go.”
Following her heart comes with the requisite risks for Williams. As she envisions a stable future life on “Reelin,” she can’t fully escape the past when a former ill-fated lover comes calling again. Getting pulled in different directions is an unavoidable part of her natural journey, but by putting herself out there, damn the consequences, Williams is undeterred by thoughts that she may be leaving something valuable behind. -Bruce Novak
Croz Boyce - S/T (Domino Records LP)
When I think of bands, I tend to think of people filling specific roles. Think John Stiratt being the harmony monster in Wilco, Paul McCartney being a melodic genius in The Beatles, Jonny Greenwood being the unconventional guitar god of Radiohead. Whenever I’ve thought of Animal Collective, I tend to think of the disparate parts coming together as Panda Bear being the Beach Boys-tinged angel-voiced harmonizer, Deakin being the earthier guitar player, Avey Tare as the frenetic, impulsive yelp-singing counterpoint to Panda Bear, and Geologist (Brian Weitz) as the mysterious sonic manipulator behind the scenes whose headlamp contributed to his nickname. The AnCo boys have been on a heater this year with Panda Bear’s collab album with Sonic Boom exploding out of nowhere, Geologist putting out a stellar solo debut, and now Croz Boyce entering the picture.
So of course, when you hear Avey Tare and Geologist are making a record together the last thing you would imagine would be what you end up getting in Croz Boyce’s self-titled LP. You’d expect a noisy record with lots of urgent almost yelped vocals backed by lots of textural ambient tones placed underneath it. However, what you end up getting is an earthy instrumental album with glitchy synths, percussion, and acoustic guitar.
The record blends hypnotic rhythms with unhurried strumming. It’s exciting to see what two members of Animal Collective cook up when they decide to start trading music back and forth. The thing that stands out, especially on a song like “What If Janis Just Stared?,” is that you’d never guess they were states apart when making this album. Undoubtedly this is indebted to the fact that these two members of AnCo have collaborated for over a quarter of a century. Still, the results are striking. The song opens with gently strummed guitar as synths gently simmer below the surface, and then about halfway through the sonic palette really starts to expand. Rippling outburst of noise roll through and then towards the end we get some off-tempo electronic sounds.
What I love about this record is the natural vibes and the leisurely tone of the proceedings. Nothing is hurried here. Songs are allowed to grow and go wherever they want at their own pace. “Towson Acid” starts with acoustic echo strumming on a synthy bed before opening to a percussive hallucinogenic, almost trance-like middle and end.
There is so much going on here. So many different sounds are melded together seamlessly. This is the definition of a headphone album, and a definite grower. I have probably played it straight through about 15 times now, and each time a new song stands out for me. I have to imagine seeing this album performed live the songs would become even more hypnotic, shift, and evolve beyond what has been put to record. Although, AnCo is notorious for playing what’s to come NEXT versus what they just recorded, so it’s anybody’s best guess as to what you will hear at The Empty Bottle on Friday, September 25th. All I know is that it is not to be missed. -Mark Joyner
Liberty Belle - 11 Songs (self-released LP)
French artist Jean-Francois Cantot appears to have been around twelve years old when The Go-Betweens released their sublime fourth studio album, Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express. He began writing songs when he was seventeen and after 35 years has launched his debut, 11 Songs, with a pronounced nod to the esteemed Brisbane quartet.
11 Songs captures the understated beauty that regularly surfaced in The Go-Betweens’ songwriting. On Liberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, Grant McLennan cited “a fundamental musical change in the band towards simplification.” That ethos is apparent in Cantot’s work, and not only because 11 Songs is largely a solo effort, save for some drumming and bass assistance from ally Clément Fritz.
Cantot’s singing and phrasing is most reminiscent of McLennan’s. “(I Want to Make You) Happy” echoes the hopeful romanticism that formed the foundation of many of McLennan’s compositions. The frenetic “Dance Dance Dance” finds Cantot attempting to exit a life that’s spinning out of his control. Elsewhere, “Judy” traces the mercurial existence of a Holly Golightly-esque character who’s in pursuit of stardom despite the soulless trappings associated with the lifestyle. The jangling bittersweet reminisces of “When I Was a Boy of 7" chronicle a loss of innocence and the longing for a mother who’s lost in the throes of depression.
11 Songs pays fitting tribute to Cantot’s source of musical inspiration. Like The Go-Betweens, he runs the emotional gamut; singing about the joys and elusiveness of love and the isolation and heartbreak that inevitably surface. Though small in scale, it represents an artistic accomplishment worthy of its own attention. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Water Damage at Rockwell on the River - September 4, 7:00 PM
As immersive experiences have exploded in popularity, it’s hard to fathom any music that is more enveloping than the monolith of sound created by the Austin collective known as Water Damage. Their extended membership, currently numbering at ten musicians and encompassing multiple percussionists, dual bassists, various guitar slingers and a violinist, essentially guarantees mandatory ear protection precaution. That core is often supplemented with like-minded guests—Wendy Eisenberg and David Grubbs being two recent examples.
Exploring long-form instrumentals that incorporate elements of drone, krautrock, industrial noise and psychedelia, their compositions are structured around repetitive elements, slowly building in tension. Across five studio records (with their latest Repair set to be released next month via 12XU), most album sides consist of a single instrumental track of around twenty minutes in length, often titled Reel and followed by the numerical sequence in which it was recorded. That would translate to about three pieces of music for this Sound & Gravity performance, but what Water Damage will play is anyone’s guess since new compositions are sometimes test run on stage and existing work is often transformed during subsequent live performances. Subverting expectations is likely to be the order of the day. -Bruce Novak
The American Analog Set at Athenaeum Center - September 5, 8:45 PM
The American Analog Set is one of my last Mount Rushmore bands to see live. By that, I mean that they are one of the last bands that I love that I haven’t seen live yet. I never thought I’d get the chance as they broke up back in 2005. I had the chance to see them when I lived in Seattle in the fall of 2005, but 20-year-old Mark wasn’t adventurous enough to go to a show by himself.
Following their breakup, lead singer/bassist/angel-voiced Andrew Kenny formed another band, The Wooden Birds, that I was fortunate enough to see at The Hideout in the summer of 2011. I liked The Wooden Birds, but I LOVED AmAnSet, and seeing them perform “Aaron & Maria,” my favorite AmAnSet song was a euphoric moment for me. Just thinking about it now brings a smile to my face. The Wooden Birds put out two albums before slowly fading away in 2012. The trail went cold. Andrew Kenny seemingly wasn’t making music anymore, and that was the worst possible outcome for me.
Then, out of nowhere, in October of 2023, AmAnSet was back! Not only were they back, but they had a new album, For Forever, coming out the following week. My friends were back, and the new album was just as good as where they left off! Surely tour dates, specifically a Chicago show was to follow! Unfortunately, that was not to be right away. They started playing shows again in 2024, a day here or there, mostly sticking to their home base of Austin, and venturing the coasts. Whenever they’d announce a string of tour dates I was sure to hop into their DMs and request Chicago, but somehow they never answered!
My luck would change in April when it was announced they were playing the second iteration of Sound & Gravity. I was on the el coming home from work when I found out and I immediately started texting all of my friends, barely able to contain my excitement. This is a band that had left a website up that even had stage setup instructions for their shows. I’d studied that schematic more times than I’d care to admit. I was ready for this moment! This is all to say that come Saturday, September 5th, I will finally get the chance to see Andrew Kenny and the boys reunited, mixing old gems like “Aaron & Maria,” “Continuous Hit Music,” “It’s All About Us,” “Play Hurt,” and new bangers like “Mountain” and “For Forever”. All I know is, regardless as to what they play, it will be a perfect night because who’d have thought we’d ever get this chance again!? -Mark Joyner
Radium Dolls at Empty Bottle - Setember 12, 9:00 PM
One of the more energizing sets that I caught at this year’s SXSW came courtesy of Brisbane’s Radium Dolls. Frontman Will Perkins cut a statuesque presence and served as a fitting conduit to the band’s hot-wire rock’n’roll sound, which includes Will’s brother Tom on guitar, Ewan Day on bass and Bryce Equinox on drums. Perkins, who lists Jonathan Richman among his seminal influences, serves up a healthy dose of authenticity in his songwriting and the directness is both earnest and unnerving.
Radium Dolls’ second album, Wound Up, released at the start of the year, retains the grittiness of its predecessors while expanding their reach in subtle ways. There are plenty rippers on the record, but also some meditative numbers that expose an emotional vulnerability that makes the group quite relatable. The Dolls’ willingness to traverse across a spectrum of sounds and emotions helps set them apart from others whose sights stay rather locked in from start to finish. -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Grant McLennan - Horsebreaker Star (Beggars Banquet LP)
The yin and yang songwriting dynamic between Grant McLennan and Robert Forster in The Go-Betweens provided the band with a distinct sonic palette. McLennan’s more melodic and sentimental approach was offset by Forster’s often knotty and terse forays. When the group initially wrapped up in 1989, it was a given that both had the goods to re-enter the fray as solo artists.
After recording his first two solo albums in his native Australia, McLennan made an inspired choice to travel to John Keane Studios in Athens, Georgia for Horsebreaker Star. Keane had long been the go-to engineer for R.E.M. and he led a group of local musicians to bring McLennan’s vision to fruition. The scale of the project was ambitious, resulting in a double album of 24 tracks overseas and a 19 track version stateside.
McLennan’s knack for crafting mellifluous pop songs is clearly present in numbers like “Simone & Perry” and “Dropping You.” When he pairs with Syd Straw to harmonize, the results are often delectable—case in point: the soaring “All Her Songs.” The southern state locale shades part of the album in an Americana vein. Released in 1994, the year before Wilco debuted, it’s not difficult to detect some of the phrasing and evocative imagery that may have rubbed off on Jeff Tweedy, who’s an avowed admirer of the Go-B’s. Listen intently to “Ice in Heaven” and “From My Lips” and you could easily mistake them for Tweedy-penned songs.
Before he passed from an unexpected heart attack in 2006, McLennan re-united with Forster for a Go-Betweens restart that began in 2000. Three more wonderful studio albums followed (The Friends of Rachel Worth, Bright Yellow Bright Orange and Oceans Apart), closing the chapter on one of the most significant, yet understated creative runs that we’ve had the good fortune to bear witness to. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: