Olympia

PREMIERE: The Washboard Abs - Recurring Chasms

Laura Kerry

The Washboard Abs are much softer than their name suggests. The songwriting project of Clarke Sondermann beginning in 2014, they have moved three cities (from Anchorage to Denver to Olympia, Washington); picked up three members (Angelo Vitello on guitars, Brendan Burton on bass, and Grant Chapman on drums); and perfected their breed of gentle indie folk-rock. After a few releases over the years, including 2015’s Whateverland on Slovakian cassette label Z Tapes, The Washboard Abs are back with Recurring Chasms, their fullest and most beautiful work yet.

Pared-down but meticulous, Recurring Chasms is an intimate album. The Washboard Abs resemble Kings of Convenience with clear, delicate vocals above rhythmic folk guitar-led compositions, but they are more off-kilter; underneath the dulcet melodies sung close to the mic are subtle punctuations of surprise and dissonance. “Erosion” sparkles with warmth as the bass and guitar slide over incongruous notes, “Icy Moon” threatens loss of control with moments of expansive jazz chords, and in “One,” bare lyrics hover over dense, unrestrained fuzz. While wildness threatens at the edges, though, Recurring Chasms remains intimate and largely muted. “I control the narrative,” Sondermann sings in the final song, “Veil,” between instrumental reveries, “I’m bleeding through this song.” Through detailed and sometimes unexpected tracks, the inner workings of the songwriter prevail.

ALBUM PREMIERE: Generifus - Extra Bad

Will Shenton

They say that the nineties never really left the Pacific Northwest, and rarely have I seen that sentiment proven more wonderfully true than on the sixth and latest release from Olympia alt-rock outfit Generifus.

The new LP, Extra Bad, is a collection of ten guitar-driven tracks, each more nostalgic than the next. Frontman and songwriter Spencer Sult cobbled together influences as wide-ranging as seventies psych rock, eighties new wave, and obscure nineties grunge bands, and the result is a wildly catchy and surprisingly cohesive sound.

This is legitimately an album we've been unable to stop listening to. From irresistible jams like "Small Stuff" to the Police-esque "The Park," it's impressive just how easily-digestible Sult's music can be. And perhaps most impressively, the fact that Extra Bad has the potential for broad appeal doesn't mean that it's at all shallow—the vocals manage to bring it down to earth and convey real artistry.

That's not to say that Sult lacks a sense of humor, though, and his self-deprecating goofiness is on full display in the video for "Extra Bad," in which our hero struts around clad in cowboy hat and chains draped around his shoulders (in case it wasn't clear that he was a Super Hardcore Dude). It's so lame it's cool.

Extra Bad is out on September 1st, and we highly recommend picking up a copy on the Generifus Bandcamp page. Thankfully, you don't have to know how the hell to pronounce "Generifus" to get there.

 

Upcoming Tour Dates:


9/4 Olympia, WA - Obsidian (Album Release Show)
9/10 Nampa, ID - Flying M
9/11 Salt Lake City, UT - Diabolical Records
9/12 Flagstaff, AZ - Flag Brew
9/13 Phoenix, AZ - Trunk Space
9/15 Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
9/17 Oakland, CA - House Show
9/18 Davis, CA - Third Space Arts Collective