Avant-garde electro-informed punky art indie (yeah, really) brought to you by Saddle Creek (yeah, THAT label). Oh, are these kids from Nebraska. Singer Teal Gardner (chick) definitely has the “dying cat” thing down. This record is all over the place musically. These songs are built on curiosity, not structure. “Experimental” is the word, but the sound here is never boring or sloppy. It’s their debut record, and apparently these truly are the first nine songs they ever wrote. Hey, I believe it.

Sounds like: Deerhoof, blatantly. Also: Architecture in Helsinki, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sleater-Kinney, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The punkier stuff could pass as Teenage Jesus & the Jerks. Well, maybe.

Note: Pronounced “Double-U, Double-V, Double-W, Z”.

try: 2, 5, 3, 1
no FCCs

*1. odd, unsettling/pretty melodic chant. solo female vocals, repeats each line 4x, hangman drums and minor electric in midway, eerie jungle feel.
*2. jutty, syncopated beat and nice guitar/bass interplay. not terribly unlike sleater-kinney. it’s “cheek”, not “shit”. i promise.
*3. can you say melt banana? fast, punky, mathy, disjointed. slightly annoying high-n-darty guitar lick & sound effect vocals to start. cheeky, shrieky vocals throughout. very blippy.
4. very slow. cocktail/lounge. fuzzy bass, sad lick-only (no chords) guitar, suzanne vega-y vocals, 3/4.
*5. slow & chill... to start. fuzzy low amp noise throughout. single-strum chord changes. edgier vocals in the chorus. electric guitar breakdown w/heavier chords at 4:00.
6. spazzy, upbeat. high-pitched blippy/zig-zaggy guitar. drop-bomb bass.
7. dizzying guitar line. irregular beat. positively ADD song structure. a disorganized, noisy mess. i like it.
8. also slow & chill. soft RHCP-style guitar opening segues to clipped chords. syrupy vocals, smooth bass, hollow drums. builds noise & voice about midway in.
9. bendy bass, circular hollow drums, low vocals to start. bizarre chours lyrics (“i love the news”) with higher-pitched, slidy “oohs”. quick-strums & cymbal crashes for an amped up ending.