Wussy: 4 Albums

 

Wussy is an American four-piece indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2001. The band consists of Chuck Cleaver (vocals/guitar), Lisa Walker (vocals/guitar), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark

Messerly (bass). Former members include Dawn Burman (drums) and John Erhardt (pedal steel). Cleaver and Walker write most of the songs and either alternate lead vocals or sing them in harmony. Live performances feature the two vocalists having a "combative rapport". They have released seven albums, one live album, two EPs, one mini LP and a number of singles. The group has received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Robert Christgau, Chicago, and SPIN.
                 

Wussy are one of the most celebrated independent bands in the American Midwest, a group whose idiosyncratically thoughtful songs and atmospheric, forceful guitar attack have won them a fervent cult following and a growing stack of rave reviews. Built around the sweet and sour mix of vocalists Lisa

Walker and Chuck Cleaver, Wussy came together in 2001 when the two singers and songwriters casually performed together at an event in their native Cincinnati, Ohio, and soon the duo expanded into a full band. In 2005, Wussy released their debut album, Funeral Dress, and while they toured and recorded at a casual pace, between excellent reviews and positive word of mouth, albums like 2009's Wussy, 2011's Strawberry, and 2014's Attica! found an audience as the band began to edge out of the indie rock underground towards the boundaries of mainstream recognition.
               

Wussy were formed by guitarist and singer Chuck Cleaver, who had enjoyed modest success in the '90s

as a member of the Cincinnati-based band the Ass Ponys. After releasing the album Lohio in 2001, Cleaver decided to break up the band, believing he'd said all he had to say within their format. Not long after, Cleaver was asked to perform at a local music awards event, and he was nervous about appearing on stage alone; Lisa Walker, a fellow Cincinnati singer and songwriter, volunteered to perform with Cleaver, and they were pleased enough with the results that they continued working together.
                       

Adopting the name Wussy, Cleaver and Walker expanded the duo into a full band in 2002 with the addition of bassist Mark Messerly and drummer Dawn Burman. The group delivered its first album in

2005, Funeral Dress, which was released by Shake-It Records, an independent offshoot of a Cincinnati record shop. The celebrated rock critic Robert Christgau gave Funeral Dress an A rating in his column in The Village Voice, and became one of Wussy's most outspoken champions, in 2012 declaring "Wussy have been the best band in America since they released the first of their five superb albums in 2005."
                    

In 2009, around the time Wussy released their self-titled third album, Dawn Burman left the group, and

Joe Klug became their new drummer. After the release of Strawberry in 2011, the group had become popular enough to stage short tours of the East Coast as well as playing regularly in the Midwest, and in 2012 they headed to the West Coast for the first time, as well as opening for the Afghan Whigs on their well-received reunion tour. (Whigs bassist John Curley also produced several albums for Wussy.) By this time, Wussy had grown into a quintet with former Ass Ponys guitarist John Erhardt joining in on pedal steel and keyboards.
                   

In 2014, Wussy released Attica!, their fifth studio album and one of their best-reviewed projects to date, which Christgau awarded a rare A+ rating, while Spin Magazine named it one of the 50 best albums of

the year. It also became Wussy's first album to be released in the U.K., when Damnably picked it up for British distribution. In 2016, Wussy returned to action with the album Forever Sounds. For 2018's What Heaven Is Like, for the first time Wussy included two covers ("Aliens in Our Midst," originally recorded by the Twinkeyz, and "Oblivion," written by Kath Bloom) alongside eight fresh original songs. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

LINE - UP
                       

Chuck Cleaver - vocals / guitar / etc
Lisa Walker - vocals / guitar / etc
Mark Messerly - bass / keys / etc
Joe Klug - drums / keys / etc
John Erhardt - pedal steel / guitar / etc

Past: Dawn Burman - drums

WUSSY - FUNERAL DRESS 2005

                          

Funeral Dress, the debut album by Wussy, was released on December 6, 2005. The label, Shake It

Records, released the album on CD format only. The album received mostly positive reviews. It was chosen as the 4th greatest album of the decade by prominent critic Robert Christgau. In 2015, SPIN ranked Funeral Dress #252 on their list of the 300 best albums of the last 30 years.

Wussy – Funeral Dress
Label: Shake It! Records – 541
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2005
Genre: Rock
Style: Indie Rock

TRACKS

                          

01. Airborne   3:16
02. Funeral Dress   3:58
03. Soak It Up   2:54
04. Shunt   3:17
05. Conversation Lags   3:07
06. Crooked   3:12
07. Humanbrained Horse   3:46
08. Motorcycle   3:56
09. Yellow Cotton Dress   2:16
10. Bought It Again   3:43
11. Don't Leave Just Now   3:46

MP3 @ 320 Size: 90 MB
Flac  Size: 264 MB

WUSSY - ATTICA! 2014

                              

The album is a compelling reminder that Chuck Cleaver and Lisa Walker are a pair of top-shelf songwriters who have learned how to make the most of their mixed feelings about the world around them, and their collaborators John Erhardt, Joe Klug, and Mark Messerly have created some beautiful

and forbidding soundscapes that are an ideal match for the emotional terrain of these melodies. Wussy never sound bummed out for its own sake on Attica!.
As vocalists, Cleaver and Walker are perfectly cast for their songs -- the gritty wobble of Cleaver's voice and the weathered beauty of Walker's instrument give their songs a dramatic color that suits them well -- and Erhardt's pedal steel avoids the usual country clichés and invests these melodies with a rich range of ghostly wails and peals.

Wussy – Attica!
Label: Damnably – DAMNABLY031
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 2014
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock

TRACKS

                       

01. Teenage Wasteland   4:39
02. Rainbows & Butterflies  3:17
03. Bug  5:03
04. North Sea Girls   3:20
05. Acetylene   3:53
06. To The Lightning   3:38
07. Halloween   3:47
08. Gene, I Dream   3:50
09. Attica!   3:14
10. Home   3:41
11. Beautiful   4:23

MP3 @ 320 Size: 105 MB
Flac  Size: 290 MB

WUSSY - FOREVER SOUNDS 2016

                       

Wussy have worked hard. They’ve made five other albums before this one, and toured with lots of  indie heroes – the Breeders, Shonen Knife, Afghan Whigs, Yo La Tengo, Jeffrey Lewis. I mention this,

because all that work builds muscle, and you can hear that 15 years of sweat pay off in their latest, Forever Sounds. These are the songs of a band who know how alt-rock songs should go, not as a formula but as a code of ethics: burly riffs, Chuck Cleaver’s earnest oddball vocals intertwined with Lisa Warner’s wizened siren ones, lyrics that glide between post-mortem rumors and friendly spirits. Dependably catchy and odd in equal measure, Wussy embody the correct way to bring back the Nineties.

Wussy – Forever Sounds
Label:S hake It! Records – SHAKE580, Shake It! Records – SHAKE1280
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Mar 4, 2016
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

                        

01. Dropping Houses    4:16
02. She's Killed Hundreds    2:46
03. Donny's Death Scene    5:11
04. Gone    3:16
05. Hello, I'm A Ghost    3:52
06. Hand Of God    3:47
07. Sidewalk Sale    2:44
08. Better Days    3:39
09. Majestic-12    4:21
10. My Parade    4:22

MP3 @ 320 Size: 92 MB
Flac  Size: 257 MB

WUSSY - WHAT HEAVEN IS 2018

                              

Released in 2018, What Heaven Is Like doesn't necessarily represent a new high-water mark for this band, but it's not a step backwards, either. For a band that can take justifiable pride in its songwriting, it's surprising to see Wussy record a pair of covers, but in each case, the band brings something very

much its own to these recordings. The spare acoustic folk of Kath Bloom's "Oblivion" is transformed into something considerably more forbidding when the band adds its layers of guitar and Walker's world-weary voice, and the Twinkeyz's lo-fi new wave chestnut "Aliens in Our Midst" (also covered by Game Theory) gains a whole new level of paranoid insistence thanks to the wobbly fervor of Cleaver's singing. With What Heaven Is Like, Wussy have made it clear they're not giving up their status as one of America's greatest indie bands just yet, and this is another dark but compelling album that deserves your attention.

Wussy – What Heaven Is Like
Label: Shake It! Records – SHAKE 585
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: May 18, 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative

TRACKS

                             

01. One Per Customer    4:46
02. Cake    3:32
03. Gloria    4:37
04. Tall Weeds    4:19
05. Firefly    4:52
06. Aliens In Our Midst    4:01
07. Skip    3:52
08. Oblivion    3:40
09. Nope    4:54
10. Black Hole    4:20

MP3 @ 320 Size: 104 MB
Flac  Size: 273 MB

Various: New Wave Club Class.X Sinners Day 2018 (40 Years Of New Wave)

 

Various  New Wave Club ClassX  Sinners Day 2018 (40 Years Of New Wave)
Label: Universal Music Belgium – 5385906
Series: New Wave Club Class X – Sinner's Day 2018
Format:    3 x CD, Compilation
Country: Belgium
Released: Nov 16, 2018
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: New Wave, Goth Rock, Alternative Rock, Synth-pop, Pop Rock, Punk, Rockabilly, Garage Rock, Indie Rock, Post-Punk, Electro
                        

                          

DISC 1.

                           

01. The Cure – Charlotte Sometimes    4:16
02. The Sisters Of Mercy – Alice    3:32
03. Joy Division – She's Lost Control    3:54
04. The Psychedelic Furs – Pretty In Pink    4:00
05. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – Electricity (Hannett/Cargo Studio Version)    3:32
06. Martha & The Muffins – Echo Beach    3:35
07. Devo – Whip It    2:39
08. Billy Idol – White Wedding (Part 1)    4:13
09. The Cramps – Human Fly    2:14
10. Liquid Liquid – Cavern    5:19
11. Killing Joke – Love Like Blood    4:19
12. Tears For Fears – Pale Shelter    4:02
13. Japan – Adol escent Sex    4:13
14. Fehlfarben –Ein Jahr (Es Geht Voran)    2:52
15. The House Of Love – Christine    3:25
16. Fischer-Z – Berlin    4:32
17. Jah Wobble – How Much Are They?    4:50
18. The Human League – Being Boiled    3:40
19. Tubeway Army – Are "Friends" Electric?    5:19
20. Claw Boys Claw – Rosie    4:25

Flac Size: 506 MB

DISC 2.

                      

01. Anne Clark – Sleeper In Metropolis    4:05
02. Simple Minds – I Travel    4:00
03. The Mission – Wasteland    5:41
04. Bauhaus – She's In Parties    3:47
05. DAF – Brothers    3:19
06. A Flock Of Seagulls – I Ran    5:04
07. Gang Of Four – I Love A Man In A Uniform    4:07
08. Visage – Fade To Grey    3:57
09. The Passions – I'm In Love With A German Film Star    3:58
10. Siouxsie And The Banshees – Happy House    3:51
11. Yello – Bostich    4:34
12. Alien Sex Fiend – E.S.T. (Trip To The Moon)    4:28
13. The Fall – Mr. Pharmacist    2:19
14. Soft Cell – Bedsitter    3:37
15. Heaven 17 – (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang    4:19
16. Department S – Is Vic There?    3:05
17. G.B.H. – Sick Boy    2:34
18. Suicide – Ghost Rider    2:31
19. Grace Jones – She's Lost Control    3:46
20. Public Image Ltd. – Rise    4:29

Flac Size: 513 MB

DISC 3. BELGIAN CLUB CLASSIX       

                  

  
01. Front 242 – Headhunter    5:01
02. A Split Second – Flesh (The Original Mix)    3:54
03. 1000 Ohm – A.G.N.E.S.    3:10
04. Aroma Di Amore – Zij Is Blij    2:44
05. Red Zebra – The Art Of Conversation    3:13
06. Arbeid Adelt! – Death Disco    2:37
07. De Brassers – En Toen Was Er Niets Meer    4:39
08. Vive La Fête – Touche Pas    3:27
09. Siglo XX – Art Of War    3:06
10. à;GRUMH... – Hapeople    4:15
11. T.C. Matic – White Rhythm    4:34
12. Funeral Dress – Party On    3:03
13. The Names – Calcutta    3:04
14. Polyphonic Size – Mother's Little Helper    3:05
15. Whispering Sons – Performance    4:45
16. Lavvi Ebbel – Victoria    4:30
17. Poesie Noire – Gioconda Smile    5:00
18. Snowy Red – Euroshima (Wardance)    4:13
19. O Veux – Beneath Shallow Graves    5:35
20. Cocaine Piss – The Dancer    1:19
21. Luc Van Acker & Anna Domino – Zanna    3:08

Flac Size: 521 MB

Mother Turtle: Mother Turtle 2013 + II 2016 + Zea Mice 2018

 

Mother Turtle is a Greek progressive rock band that started as a jam studio band who take their cues

from nearly all aspects of progressive rock, a synergy of many ingredients tossed, fried, and served in sizzler style to make this a very tasty prog band. Mother Turtle was formed in Thessaloniki in 2011 and previously was known as Hogweed. The band members cite as their inspirations Frank Zappa, Rush, Camel, Genesis, Marillion, and many other prog rock legends.
                    

Mother Turtle started as a jam band by musicians that were already very active, being involved

individually in several other music projects and doing live gigs on a weekly basis. But during those jam sessions, some solid musical ideas were developed and after a lot of rehearsing they evolved into songs. The band consists of Kostis HASOPOULOS (bass, backing vocals), Kostas KONSTANTINIDIS (guitar, vocals), George MPALTAS (drums, percussion, backing vocals) and George THEODOROPOULOS (piano, organ, synths, programming).
                        

First live gig was under the name HOGWEED in April 2012. The name changed to MOTHER

TURTLE a little bit later and since they played various gigs, sharing the stage with fellow bands such as POEM, LAZY AFTERSHOW, 3-FOLD PAIN and also Swedish vintage heavy rockers SIENA ROOT in Athens in April 2013. The first self-titled 7-track album was released on 4th of October 2013 and was recorded, mixed and mastered from February to July 2013 in Sin City Studios, Thessaloniki by sound engineer Kostas Kofinas.
                      

The band mixes successfully elements from symphonic, folk, neo- and heavy progressive with the latter

potentially standing out a bit clearer in their influences; they still though remain a band difficult to categorise and come highly recommended. Mother Turtle is perhaps the most mischievous and known progressive rock band from Greece nowadays. Surely it's one of the most representatives of the term 'progressive', without the strain it has been through for at least 20 years, and not just within borders, is global.
                     

 

If there is an element independent of the exact musical content I'm looking for in a prog band, that's the

unpredictability. Mother Turtle have this element as a key part of their temperament and that was shown both on their self-titled debut studio album in 2013 and on their second one 'II' in 2016. Even within each album the different elements are many and even the basic direction isn't the same on the tracks.
                           

MOTHER TURTLE - MOTHER TURTLE 2013

                    

Mother Turtle – Mother Turtle
Label: Not On Label (Mother Turtle Self-released) – none
Format:    CD, Album
Country: Greece
Released: Oct 3, 2013
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock

TRACKS

01. 707 (A November Less)    9:27
02. Mother Turtle And The Evil Mushroom, Part 1: The Turtle Conjuration    6:51
03. The Elf    9:34
04. Bridge     6:07
05. God Games    12:16
06. Rhinocerotic    6:48
07. Attic    11:09

LINE - UP

Bass [fretless], Bass – Kostis Hasopoulos
Drums, Backing Vocals – Giorgos Mpaltas
Guitar, Vocals, Backing Vocals – Kostas Konstantinidis
Lyrics By – Kostas Konstantinidis
Music By – Mother Turtle
Piano, Synth, Sampler – Giorgos Theodoropoulos

A very honest and well-worked album, Mother Turtle's self-titled debut comes to add to the impressive

releases from Greece in 2013. Their sound is an amalgam of influences from the 70's, mostly relying on heavy prog and guitar rock as confirmed by the impressive opener "707" with characteristic and memorable guitar phrases, resembling to Uriah Heep (Byron era) and Greek legends Socrates Drank the Conium. Not less interesting are the more obscure moments found in "Mother Turtle And The Evil Mushroom part 1" and "Rhinocerotic", especially the latter showing an affection towards King

Crimson. Often the heavier moods intertwine with mellower and jazzier passages, in the vein of Fusion Orchestra (the more adventurous) and VDGG (the more eclectic). References to more contemporary acts such as Black Bonzo can also be found on the highlight "God Games" and folksy passages find their way via the "Bridge".

MP3 @ 320 Size: 147 MB
Flac  Size: 400 MB

MOTHER TURTLE - II 2017

                         

Label: Not On Label (Mother Turtle Self-released) – none
Format: CD, Album
Country: Greece
Released: Mar 24, 2017
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock

TRACKS

01. Overture    1:46
02. Harvest Moon    13:08
03. Ennui    3:31
04. Walpurgi Flame    20:15
05. The Tower    2:56
06. The Art Of Ending A Revolution    14:44

LINE - UP

Kostas Konstantinidis:guitars,vocals,midi guitar, ukulele
George Baltas: drums,vocals
George Theodoropoulos:keys
George Filopelou:electric and fretless bass
Babis Prodromidis: saxophone, flute
Alex Kiourntziadis: violin

Incredible eclectic prog from Greece. Each time I find myself listening to this album I am blown away by A) how good it is, B) how familiar it is, C) how diverse the styles represented here are, and D) how much it sounds like some long-lost 'classic' from the 1970s--like a new release of a heretofore undiscovered BABYLON tape.

1. "Overture" (1:46) acoustic ditty introducing the epic that follows performed in a kind of Renaissance-style vocal herald à la GENTLE GIANT.
2. "Harvest Moon" (13:08) a song that sounds like it was left off a VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR or KING CRIMSON album in the 1970s or perhaps a more recent DISCIPLINE/MATTHEW PARMENTER--only with a different vocalist. Great drumming, great keyboard work, great saxophone, great vocals, amazing ending!
3. "Ennui" (3:31) a gentle yet insistent STYX/RUSH-like interlude between the album's twin towers.
4. "Walpurgi Flame" (20:15) Like two songs in one: the first a eight-minute rendering of an amazing though long lost Zeuhl (GUAPO?) warm up, the second a contrasting gorgeous, hope-filled symphonic folk piece with female lead vocalists feeling similar to a CIRRUS BAY song (though it sounds more, in fact, like a song from Chile's AISLES' 2009 In Sudden Walks because of the incredible vocal melodies). Methinks the lyrics refer to the trouble a typical (or particular) Greek individual might have with his country (as well as his species') preoccupation with money and power when, at basic biological status, all are equal. My new favorite prog epic of the year 2016.

5. "The Tower" (2:56) a beautiful and incredibly powerful tribute to the shock and confusion of the eye-witness observers of the destruction of New York City's Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
6. "The Art of Ending a Revolution" (14:44) is a decent if fairly bland and simple prog epic about the lesson humans are supposed to learn "the art of smiling while someone is stabbing your back," the art of practicing The Golden Rule, the art of patience with hope, the art of detachment. Nice electric guitar chord progressions, nice vocal, nice message, nice bass play, nice saxophone work--just a nice song. Nice. Like we're expected to be. Despite the chaos and corruption surrounding us. The best part of the song begins with the eery Twilight Zone-like synth over which David Strathairn reads Edward R. Murrow's famous anti-Eugene McCarthy speech from the 2005 film, Good Night, and Good Luck... and then the powerful final two minutes.
                           

This is one of the most brilliantly conceived and realized concept albums I've ever heard. I hope it gets the attention it deserves--both musically and moral-politically.
A true masterpiece of progressive rock music and an album that should be heard around the world--especially in times like these.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 134 MB
Flac  Size: 365 MB

MOTHER TURTLE - ZEA MICE 2018

                  

Mother Turtle – Zea Mice
Label: Not On Label (Mother Turtle Self-released) – none
Format: Album
Country: Greece   
Released: Feb 20, 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Prog Rock

TRACKS

01. Zea Mice Part 1-Kukuruzu  (Voice – Elpida Papakosma)  6:44
02. Zea Mice Part 1-#Cornhub    8:06
03. Zea Mice Part 2-Sea Mice    6:53
04. Zea Mice Part 2-Zeitenlik (Narrator – Aristotelis Mavropoulos)  1:21
05. Zea Mice Part 2-Vermins (Voice – Elpida Papakosma)   6:40
06. Zea Mice Part 2-Fourward    1:57
07. Zea Mice Part 3-Vermins(Reprise)    1:11
08. Zea Mice Part 3-Nostos    16:38

LINE - UP

Bass – George Filopelou
Drums – George Baltas
Guitar – Kostas Konstantinidis
Keyboards, Programmed By – George Theodoropoulos
Percussion [Guest] – Apostolis Georgiadis
Recorded By, Mixed By, Mastered By – Kostas Kofinas
Saxophone – Babis Prodromidis
Violin – Alex Kiourntziadis

After dropping the surprise bomb on me two years ago with their amazing "II"--a Top 10 Album of 2016 for me--I was super excited when Bandcamp notified me of this new release.

1. "Zea Mice part 1: Kukuruzu" (6:44) opens like a prog song with long-held buzzing solo synth and vocal samples from field recordings in Russian (?) before breaking into a hard-driving, engagingly-themed rocker. Reminds me of The D Project's "Shimmering Lights." Nice work from bass, drums, and saxophone.
2. "Zea Mice part 1: #Cornhub" (8:06) solid foundational music over which several instrumentalists put on a great show: Alex Kiourntziadis' violin, Kostas Konstantinidis' acoustic and electric guitars, George Theodoropoulos' synths. I love the sound of George Baltas' metronomic snare! Marked down for being little more than a smooth jazz jam song.
3. "Zea Mice part 2: Sea Mice" (6:53) a nice smooth jazz groove over which synths, electric guitar, and violin take turns at the fore. I like the violin solo and the tension of the final third the best.
4. "Zea Mice part 2: Zeitenllik" (1:21) an ominous soundscape over which an obviously scary narration is performed . . . in Greek.
5. "Zea Mice part 2: Vermins" (6:40) seems a continuation of "Sea Mice" with the same (or variation of the same) driving groove. The female vocalise of Elpida Papakosma range in sound from Ofra Haza's Persian "scatting" to Björkian Sugarcube-era sounds. Guitar and violin lead us into a thicker,

faster section in the fifth minute. The final minute becomes more spacious and synthed, themed around a kind of James Bond riff. Nice tune.
6. "Zea Mice part 2: Fourward" (1:57) North African drumming within which piano and synths sneak intermittent riffs. Cool!
7. "Zea Mice part 3: Vermins (reprise)" (1:11) a stripped down, acoustic version of the Vermins theme? Pretty but I don't hear the similarity.
8. "Zea Mice part 3: Nostos" (16:38) excellent hard-driving instrumental prog over a techno-synth rhythm track. The final third turns radically into some smoky lounge jazz. Excellent sound.
                   

It's taken me a long, long time to get up to writing a review of this album--despite the fact that I've owned it for over half the year. There's just a lot of dense music--which is particularly challenging to critique with instrumental music. The quality of performances and "hooks" is high but I really miss the wonderful storytelling that the vocals and instruments did with the previous album.
A near-masterpiece of instrumental progressive rock.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 119 MB
Flac  Size: 368 MB