Weirdon

‘90s-style garage rock that’s cleaning up but still not used to wearing a suit. Philadelphia-based Purling Hiss and frontman Mike Polizze demonstrate both noisy pop and grungy sensibilities on this catchy, guitar-driven album. Rousing and jaded at the same time, with some great variation among the tracks.
Favorites: 4, 5, 8, 10, 11. FCC Clean.
RIYL Beck, Dandy Warhols, Pavement

1. (3:41) Mid-tempo. Grungy but benign guitars enter, lead to a cheerful and upbeat melody. Perfect opening track that keeps things light + summery for a drive.
2. (2:07) Mid to fast. Playful, up-and-down, and very relaxed. Abstract lyrics repeating the phrase “no more lies.” The title “Sundance Saloon Boogie” is most apt.
3. (4:58) Mid to fast. Noisy riff leads into full band again. Lyrics about nothing and everything, “learning slowly, treading slightly.” Prominent bass in the chorus and an uplifting solo drive this tune. Punky, static Sunday.
4. *(6:03) Starts with some darker chords and more of a nasal drawl in the singing. High keys join in and take us to a dreamy, somewhat bittersweet-sounding chorus. Around 3:00 a long, psychedelic jam begins and lead guitar shines. Mid-tempo. Possibly my favorite.
5. *(5:22) Slow, acoustic, maracas?, would sound just right on Beck’s One Foot in the Grave as it has that folky blend of cheer and melancholy just right in its use of dissonance. “I am trying to escape my mind.”
6. (2:20) Loud, mid- to fast, whining and energetic lead-in. The chorus is garage pop perfection. “I’ve got no reservations/ got nowhere I belong/ I’ve got no inhibitions/ there’s nowhere to belong.” Drifting but living it up in the in-between.
7. (2:51) Pounding snares, straight into vocals: “aging fast/changing slow.” Describes a lot of bands that cling to a youthful sound as they get older, doesn’t it? Another lazy-sounding but pretty catchy shrug to the coming of age.
8. *(3:54) Mid. Call-and-response vocals. Mellow with a great little twang at the end of each line. Chorus comes as a conversation between the drifter and society. The latter, urging, “it’ll fix you right,” answered by a defiant chant of “I Don’t Wanna Be A…!”, the title of this track.
9. (1:25) Fast, loud drums, clean pop-punk, no time to slow down. “This is my radio!”
10. *(3:08) Slow. This is our breather after the previous track. Gentle, soft, acoustic, dreamy. The guitar that comes in at the 2:00 bridge is darker and brings it down a notch from lullaby.
11. *(7:59) Mid. High, soaring, glorious-sounding riff leads us into some low vocals. This one wanders along in grungeville until that buoyancy returns in the chorus. Then it takes over the track and goes on a journey of its own. The result is a honey-colored celebration of exploration itself, of the right to roam without an end.