Women- Public Strain (review)

by Asa Masters on 2.01.11

Women- Public Strain
(Jagjaguwar- 2010)

With their second full-length release, the Canadian noise rock group Women have delivered another consistently rich album. Compared to their debut, Public Strain is a darker, more subdued effort; it’s bleak outlook made all the more beautiful by it’s haunting, atonal echoes and addictive guitar hooks.

Opening track ‘Can’t You See’ begins with dissonant feedback, before a walking, tuneful bass line appears, as the Panda Bear-esqe vocals shimmer over the top. The contrast of harsh, lo-fi noise and soothing, harmonious singing makes a superb introduction to the album, and is a clear example of Women’s musical direction.

‘Heat Distraction’ is fantastically upbeat after the hypnotising lull of the previous track. It is a finely crafted track, relying heavily on guitar hooks, which occur throughout the song, reminiscent of Television. It’s fantastically written, and is guaranteed to stay playing in your head for weeks.

‘Penal Colony’ is a melancholy, slumberous affair, and has a minimal thickness in the background wall of sound, with organs effects and guitars droning under a steady bass rhythm. The vocals induce a relaxing, reflecting mood, and submerge the listener into the heart of the song. This continues into ‘Bells’, which is entirely made up of wraithlike synth drone, and is altogether eerie and deeply entrancing.

Next they again use the ploy of ushering the listener into a sense of calm, before releasing ‘China Steps’ which teases along, before bursting into a brief, brash interlude, which then returns to the stable rhythm of the bass. ‘Untogether’ and ‘Drag Open’ embrace an influence akin to early Sonic Youth; detuned guitars playing a rusty, grinding riff, which despite it’s lack of conventional tune displays a keen melody.

The last three tracks see the dissonance and thick walls of noise removed, and a clear, clean sound emerge. It’s a very clever step; it’s as if those melodic guitars have been wading through a blizzard and have finally found their chamber.

Public Strain was recorded in the midst of a Canadian winter, and it certainly reverberates the feeling of a thick, uncompromising cold. But the essence of the record is far from a feeling of distance, rather a questioning, ethereal statement of absorbing noise, which is brought to life by warm, penetrating guitar lines, which will ensure you return to the album many a time.

Women are a band who hold the position of being one of the best guitar bands out there, and their ability to fuse the atonal walls of reverberation with melodious vocals makes them one of the most original too.

Image Gallery

Share:

Bookmark with:

Comment

Name	Remember
E-mail
Website
Message	Textile Help