A few weeks back we featured the new album by The Spirit of the Beehive, on Philadelphia’s Ranch Records. Since then I’ve been digging in to their previous releases, and in doing so came across an album called Wooden Brain by a band called Sun Organ.
The band are rather mysterious, with very few details available online beyond the music (which is cool with us). First two tracks are reminiscent of LVL UP, teaming a rumbly lo-fi rock aesthetic with deadpan, apathetic vocals to create something both fun and dark. Opener ‘Other People’ sets the tone of the record right away, with the repeated refrain declaring “Hell is other people who care about you”, while ‘Old Tuscon’ is an introspective tale of old emotions no longer felt, memories no longer cared about, framed in a sneery sort of way as if the narrator is making fun of his past self.
“Laying on a skateboard in the yard,
I was crying because she left me,
bless my little heart”
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1007895308 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=280572761]
As the name might suggest, ‘Roar of Nothingness’ ups the sinister vibe. A noise rock song in the mould of Krill, the track has a distorted air, as if viewed through funhouse mirrors. This breaks down with thirty seconds left, leading on into ‘Gods of Summer’, which builds slowly with the ominous restraint of early Wintersleep. ‘Nona Fell’ has slinky summer vibes, like the heavy summer air before an electrical storm, and ‘Darker Later’ is (surprisingly) lighter though still bummed out, sounding like The Stone Roses weird cousin who practises in his mom’s garage.
“And in the schoolyard
like they always do,
that motherfucker told me
I’d never be as cool,
as you”
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1007895308 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=1515304174]
‘Brother Shame’ feels almost triumphant, or at least carefree, like the result of R.E.M. and The Smiths ganging together to form a noise/shoegaze outfit, and closer ‘Ass Kickin’ Rock’n’Roll’ follows suit. These tracks are not happy per se, rather free from worries because the narrator has stopped giving a shit. “I stopped remembering my dreams some time ago,” he sings, and you have no reason to doubt it. Check out the video below, complete with answering machine opening:
You can get Wooden Brain on cassette tape via Ranch Records, or as a pay-what-you-want download via Bandcamp. 