Extremely great album from NEC students with influences from many different places. Album feels like a BAABY of Ornette Coleman and David Bowie all around, but will take you into the abstract worlds of John Zorn, Boredoms, and Frank Zappa, bring in grooves sounding like something from the worlds of Stevie Wonder or Herbie Hancock, and even has a more country based tune.
Music is extremely versatile where a lot of it feels rather silly and shows clear influence from Carl Stalling and has one song that quotes John Williams while making his music sound like 80’s new wave, but still having other parts of the album that are able to show much more serious sounding concepts with songs like Spider King, and other songs that bring out pure hardcore intensity like Two into the Sack. Very versatile but still stays together extremely well as a whole and you WILL NOT get bored or lost while listening.
All very well composed into very intricate song forms with incredibly creative harmonies while still leaving a lot of freedom to insane improvisation from all members of the band. I’ve never heard a cheesy 80’s drum machine sound so deep and meaningful. Lyrics are very powerful while being very free to interpretation in a very non conventional manner making you very curious and unconsciously creating your own stories in your head while trying to decipher what they really mean.
Band is led by Katie McShane, but if you’ve seen her perform in other bands (like Every Kim Parcell) and you’ve also seen Listening Woman perform, then you know that she’s in a different character for Listening Woman; she is a different person when she sings these songs, becoming very silly but psychotic in a very badass manner; and after you get to know her music, you really just start to wonder what her obsession with helicopters is.
Really great fun band delivering music that has the technical aspects of jazz but with the raw attitude of punk. Can’t recommend the album any more than I am, but you really gotta see this band live. All members of the band contribute in a very wonderful creative manner, and you’re guaranteed to have a fun time after experiencing their music. Band features members of The Particulars, Every Kim Parcell, Kateboard, and a few other great Boston bands; but this one is my personal favorite band from that bunch because of their pure punk energy mixed with pure experimental craziness! Really amazing music, and I consider Katie to be the Charles Mingus of the current musical scene because of her new creative beautiful approaches to songwriting and band leading.
