WHO ARE THEY? Remember The Gong Show? Remember The Unknown Comic? The guy who told jokes with a paper bag over his head? This is sorta like that. Except that instead of a comedian, it’s an indie duo from Detroit. And the person hiding inside the sack is singing and playing guitar instead of barking bad gags. And it’s not a dude, it’s a woman. And her name is Kirsten Carey, so she’s not really unknown. Come to think of it, it’s nothing at all like The Unknown Comic on The Gong Show. Never mind.
WHAT IS THIS? Their wonderfully weird, wild and woolly debut disc of avant-garde post-punk, Beefhearty peculiarity and paint-peeling noise-rock — which takes its name from the last word of the album’s last song.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? A woman who recently learned how to play guitar having some sort of manic episode / emotional breakdown as she flails away at her instrument — while a guy who recently learned how to play drums bashes along with her for all he’s worth.
WHAT WOULD BE A BETTER TITLE FOR THIS ALBUM? Sack Attack.
HOW SHOULD I LISTEN TO IT? Well, wearing a bag over your head isn’t mandatory. But it couldn’t hurt, could it?
WHAT 10 WORDS DESCRIBE IT? Angular, abrasive, serrated, bizarre, lurching, primitive, cathartic, distorted, cacophonous, confounding.
WHAT ARE THE BEST/WORST SONGS? The entire 27-minute disc thing is one magnificently outrageous outburst from start to finish. Which is exactly as it should be.
WHAT WILL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY SAY? ‘I could do that.’
HOW OFTEN WILL I LISTEN TO THIS? Whenever you want to get rid of your friends and family.
IF THIS ALBUM WERE A MEDICAL CONDITION, WHAT KIND OF CONDITION WOULD IT BE? Definitely something on the spectrum. Definitely.
SHOULD I BUY, STREAM OR STEAL? Give them a spin and see if they’re your bag.
