11/10/2023 0 Comments Erica dawn lyle![]() What’s strange and unknown to you one day, can be strange and beloved by you the next. ![]() Prior to this week I was sadly unfamiliar with Kamikaze Palm Tree, but it’s safe to say, having dug through their back catalog and new singles, I’m now fully enamored, and that’s the beauty of music. Horsegirl rarely rely on repetition, instead focusing emphasis on mesmerizing harmonies and melodies so thick they only need one pass to be memorable. The band write what feel like pop songs, with little to no reliance on hooks, a fact that’s hard to believe on first listen, but becomes increasingly apparent. The record is impeccably structured, with one great song washing into the next, as noise freakouts and segues bridge everything together. The Chicago trio have a deep understanding of their vision, a rich tapestry of post-punk, shoegaze, and “college rock” influences, peeled, stripped, and collapsed only to be reshaped and repurposed as it suits their songs and the very complete landscape of their debut album. The idea of a “guitar rock” savior is ridiculous (especially if you’re a regular Post-Trash reader) as rock music hardly needs saving, but if the mainstream is catching up with what the underground already knows, then we’re thrilled to see Horsegirl lead the way, a deserving band that writes songs well developed beyond their years. ![]() You don’t have to buy into any of the narratives around Horsegirl and their meteoric rise to know that Versions of Modern Performance is one of the year’s best albums, you simply have to listen to it. HORSEGIRL | “Versions of Modern Performance” LP With Cooler on drums and Matsuzaki on bass, the pair groove through detached rhythms as Lyle weaves in, out, and around the beat, triumphantly bent and melodic. The interpretive lyrics, written by Matsuzaki seem to address the feelings of aging, and the idea of remaining vibrant and untamed in the process. The entire thing plays surprisingly cohesive, but “PS Forever,” the track led by Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki, is an undeniable stand-out, a song that plays to everyone’s strengths. The duo brought together both punk legends and some of today’s best, recruiting everyone from Kim Gordon, Kathleen Hanna, and Christina Billotte (Slant 6, Autoclave) to Palberta, Ali Carter (Control Top), and Rachel Aggs (Shopping, Trash Kit). In terms of Land Trust: Benefit for NEFOC, an Indigenous and POC-led grassroots organization that seeks to connect POC farmers to land to grow healthy foods and medicines for their communities, Erica Dawn Lyle (Bikini Kill) and Vice Cooler (The Raincoats) have created more an album than a compilation, as the duo form the core of each song, with various guests featured on each track. There are a lot of charity compilations that come and go, with great bands for great causes, but the music more often than not sits in your digital library, a collection by design, without much longevity. Editrix Goes To Hell isn’t an album for passive listening, it’s claws sink deep and reward close listening, with progressions and nuances that range from reactions of “holy mole, this is incredible” to “my damn jaw is stuck on the floor”.ĮRICA DAWN LYLE & VICE COOLER | “PS Forever“ (feat. There’s a pull and balance to everything Editrix does, from changes in pitch and tempo, to general shifts from art punk to sludge and bubblegum hooks, it’s all so purposeful, with every deliberate decision informed by the grand design. It’s evident on songs like “Gut Project,” “Hieroglyphics,” and “I Can Hear It,” where the focus moves from one member to the next, tangled together in harmony that’s both challenging and constantly rewarding. Every member of the band - Wendy Eisenberg, Josh Daniel, and Steve Cameron - are incredible at their instruments, but it’s not so much what they do, but how they piece it all together, one astounding moment built on the next, interweaved with a connection rarely found. There’s absolutely nothing like an album that makes you excited about music’s existence, and Editrix II: Editrix Goes To Hell, the second album from Western MA trio Editrix, has me downright thrilled. EDITRIX | “Editrix II: Editrix Goes To Hell” LP
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