Long before Christopher Owens and Chet White formed Girls, there was a band called Women – as their name suggests, the latter is a little more classy, a little more mature, a little more arty, but equally difficult to find via everyone’s favourite search engine. Two ex-Women members, Matt Flegel and Mike Wallace, now contribute to Viet Cong, who released Static Wall last week.
If you’re looking for a band who embrace Martin Sheen or M1 Helmets with Jungian duality, you’ll be dissapointed. If you like shimmering, art-quirk Canadiana, you won’t be. Listen to Viet Cong.
If you’re expecting a concept work about America’s military involvement in south-east Asia, you’ll be disappointed. There’s no white noise helicopter samples, no lyrics about Victor Charlie, no nods to The Doors, and the single hardly smells like napalm in the morning (or any time of day for that matter).
Hailing from Calgary (as far as possible from Saigon), the artsy Canadiana runs strong in the Cong’s latest single, broad brushstrokes of poppy alt-country-isms meddle with trademark Alberta strangeness in Static Wall. A (probably) synthesised shimmer runs throughout the song, at first a jarring strangeness in between a tremolo laden lo-fi guitar, but eventually becoming a beacon of recognisability, a sonic lighthouse in a sea of washy vocals and bass melodies.
If you’re a fan of modern Deerhunter (post-Monomania), you’ll understand this single, and you’ll probably add it to your spotify playlist or whatever you kids do these days. If you aren’t a fan of modern Deerhunter, then it might be worthwile giving Cox’s work a quick listen first – it’s a low-incline introduction into appreciating loose, fuzzy songs that don’t really go anywhere. Or hey, why not give Women a listen? That’s what I’d do if I had the time.
The Cassette EP will be re-released on Mexican Summer later this month.
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