Wussy Announce New Album + 2 New EPs
Wussy announce a new LP + two new EPs! Cincinnati Ohio, The Great Divide, and Cellar Door all come out November 15th on Shake It Records, with the tracks “The Great Divide” and “Cellar Door” available today!
Preorder on Bandcamp or through Shake It Records. (Bundle all three here.)
From Stereogum: https://www.stereogum.com/2280028/wussy-the-great-divide-cellar-door/music/
Great American rock band Wussy have a new album on the way. The main band will return in November from a six-year hiatus with the aptly named Cincinnati Ohio, their first LP since the death of guitarist John Erhardt. Opening track “The Great Divide” is out today, a droning and propulsive heartland rocker that sounds like waking up from Lost In A Dream.
NPR's Fresh Air: “Chuck Cleaver Gets Wonderfully Expressive On His First Solo Album”
Chuck Cleaver / Photo - Anna Stockton
Ken Tucker reviewed Chuck Cleaver’s debut album Send Aid on the September 3 edition of NPR’s Fresh Air.
“Cleaver, one of the leaders of Wussy, sings about joy, pain, sorrow and regret on Send Aid. The resulting album stands with the best of anything Cleaver has ever done.” - Ken Tucker, Fresh Air
Robert Christgau: "The Many Reasons to Love Wussy"
A feature on Wussy was included in rock critic Robert Christgau’s October 2018 anthology, Is It Still Good to Ya?: Fifty Years of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017 (Duke University Press).
The Many Reasons to Love Wussy was originally featured in The Barnes & Noble Review on March 6, 2012.
“Wussy have been the best band in America since they released the first of their five superb albums in 2005, only nobody knows it except me and my friends.” - Robert Christgau
Lisa Walker Interview in New Book About Coen Brothers
We are pleased to announce that an interview with Wussy’s Lisa Walker is featured in Adam Nayman’s gorgeous new hardcover book The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together. Other interviewees include frequent Coen collaborators such as Carter Burwell and Roger Deakins! 🎳
“.. film critic Adam Nayman carefully sifts through [the Coens’] complex cinematic universe in an effort to plot, as he puts it, ‘some Grand Unified Theory of Coen-ness’. The book combines critical text—biography, close film analysis, and enlightening interviews with key Coen collaborators—with a visual aesthetic that honors the Coens’ singular mix of darkness and levity. Featuring film stills, beautiful and evocative illustrations, punchy infographics, and hard insight, this book will be the definitive exploration of the Coen brothers’ oeuvre.”
In the interview, Walker discusses how The Big Lebowski, and Donny’s character in particular, inspired her to write Forever Sounds’ soaring anthem “Donny’s Death Scene”.
The Ringer: "Wussy’s American Gothic"
Pop culture mag The Ringer just published an in-depth feature on Wussy and their newest release. Written by Adam Nayman (author of The Coen Brothers: This Book Really Ties the Films Together), the article delves into some of the stories behind the songs on What Heaven Is Like, declaring: “This is the best band you’ve never heard of.”
SPIN Top 50: WUSSY - Forever Sounds
SPIN listed Wussy’s newest, Forever Sounds, among its “50 Best Albums of 2016 So Far“… calling the band “one of American indie’s premier songwriting projects”.
As one of American indie’s premier songwriting projects, Cincinnati-based five-piece Wussy have set high standards of consistency over their decade-and-change career, patiently amassing a hefty songbook courtesy of head writers/guitar wranglers Lisa Walker and Chuck Cleaver, even while slowly widening their national profile through extensive road shows. The distinct pleasures of Forever Sounds remain those of all five preceding Wussy albums — a crack songwriting duo detailing adult life’s ambiguities with vivid language amid a terrific rhythm section’s unapologetic alt-slop. They’ve retained their love of six-string grandeur even while continuing to plumb the depths of victories that aren’t so much hollow as qualified. Like throwing your own parade and hoping someone just might roll with you. Or quietly insisting against all available evidence that “these are the better days,” then immediately allowing, “…or not.” — JASON GUBBELS
See the rest of the top 50 here.
Read SPIN’s full review of Forever Sounds here.
SPIN Songs of the Week: WUSSY - Ceremony
SPIN included Wussy’s cover of “Ceremony” among their “7 Favorite Songs of the Week”, saying:
There are plenty of ways for a cover song to be successful, but it can be especially meaningful when artists weave in their perspective without compromising the magic of the original — which Cincinnati’s Wussy do with aplomb with this take on New Order’s 1981 classic. Staying faithful to the new-wave pioneers’ looping guitar line, Wussy throw in layers of hazy, frayed distortion while singing Ian Curtis’ last lyrics together in unruly unison. — R.B.
Read the rest here: SPIN’s 7 Favorite Songs of the Week: DeJ Loaf, Julianna Barwick, and More
Stereogum: WUSSY - Ceremony (Premiere)
Stereogum premiered Wussy’s Record Store Day cover of “Ceremony” (Joy Division / New Order) on April 6, with a streaming link, as well as a list of 2016 tour dates. Stream it here: Wussy – “Ceremony” (New Order Cover) (Stereogum Premiere).
“They’ve covered New Order’s seminal new wave track ‘Ceremony’, making it their own without betraying the essence of the original.” - Chris DeVille, Stereogum
AV Club: WUSSY - She's Killed Hundreds (Video Premiere)
AV Club Premiere of “She’s Killed Hundreds”
Wussy’s video for their single “She’s Killed Hundreds” (directed by Rich Tarbell) was premiered today via the AV Club, who had this to say about the track:
Cincinnati’s Wussy has always blurred the line between alt-country and straight-ahead rock, but on its sixth album, Forever Sounds, the band has found a new way to make the amalgam pop. The A.V. Club is premiering the video for “She’s Killed Hundreds,” a song that sees Wussy embrace swirling, psych-rock riffs that expand outward seemingly without end. The video plays off the song’s themes, as an unnamed spy leaves leaves nothing but destruction in her wake.
Speaking of the song’s themes , Lisa Walker said:
“Lyrics on this one are courtesy of Chuck. We never entirely know what he’s writing about, and half the time, he doesn’t either! He played this song for the band – plus “Hello, I’m a Ghost” – after we’d essentially finished the record and packed up. Needless to say, we were blown away, so it was worth setting up in the studio all over again to capture these two amazing tracks. John Erhardt and I also get to play dueling lead guitars, which is supremely fun. For me, this one has always had a bit of a Pixies meets Guided by Voices vibe. In other words, Ohio to its core.”
Paste’s Coverage of “She’s Killed Hundreds”:
Wussy’s audience seems to be made up entirely of rock critics. You rarely meet mainstream fans of the Cincinnati band, but if Robert Christgau wants to get coffee we wouldn’t be opposed.
Despite their relative obscurity, Wussy is a criminally underrated alt-country outfit whose sixth studio album, Forever Sounds, came out today on Shake It Records along with a music video for single “She’s Killed Hundreds.” The video features two secret agents playing a game of cat-and-mouse ala Mad magazine’s “Spy vs. Spy” comics.
About the Video
Directed by Rich Tarbell and Brian Wimer.
Edited by Rich Tarbell with color correction by David Ariew.
Produced with Scott Vieth, Club 603, Baltimore MD.
From the album Forever Sounds.
Noisey: WUSSY - Forever Sounds (Premiere)
Check out Noisey’s coverage and full album stream of Wussy’s Forever Sounds here:
“If you’re not familiar with the fuzzy dream pop psych of Cincinnati’s Wussy, you’re in for a treat. The band’s been around for a bit—getting its start way back in 2001—and has established itself as a staple of Midwestern rock over the last decade. Below, Noisey is happy to premiere the latest record from Wussy called Forever Sounds, which might just be their most complete work yet.” – Noisey
PREMIERE: Stream Wussy's 'Forever Sounds' and Get Joyfully Midwestern Miserable
Stereogum: WUSSY - Dropping Houses (Video Premiere)
Wussy’s official video for single “Dropping Houses” launched today via Stereogum, who had this to say about the track:
On “Dropping Houses,” Ohio rockers Wussy applied their unique blend of Midwest roots-rock and gauzy melodic swirl to a story about being inside a house carried away by a tornado. I loved how singer-guitarist Lisa Walker explained the aesthetic: “Our dorky dual fandom of ’90s shoegaze + tom petty has fully surfaced and become a really singable wall of noise.” And I furthermore enjoy what director Scott Fredette has done with the visuals, turning a simple performance video into something ominous and flashy via a black background and colorful bursts of light. Watch below. – Chris DeVille / Stereogum
About the Video
From the album Forever Sounds, out 3/4/16 on Shake It/Damnably.
Director: Scott Fredette
Director of Photography: John Erhardt
Design/Animation: Dan Olszewski
Editor: Brad Grawe
Camera Assistant: Roger Holliday
Grip: Jake Kneuven
Grip: Charlie Glassman
Grip: Geoff Halpin
Camera Car Driver: David Hug
Grip/Lighting equipment: Midwest Grip and Lighting
Camera equipment: The Camera Dept.
SPIN: Wussy Announce 6th Album Forever Sounds (Premiere)
Wussy announced their sixth album Forever Sounds, premiering the lead single “Dropping Houses” via SPIN Magazine on Jan 21, 2016. SPIN had this to say:
“To certain fans of Lucinda Williams, Crazy Horse, Mekons and R.E.M., Wussy became the best band in America almost instantaneously with the launch of their cult classic debut, Funeral Dress, in 2005. Their flawless document of ragged songwriting and modestly adventurous arrangements has only grown in dynamism in the years and albums that followed… America’s best songwriting band might now be among its best soundscaping ones.”
“It’s a swaggering, bleary, distorted churn topped off by another virtuoso vocal duet from Walker and Cleaver.” – Stereogum
Wussy’s sixth LP is bleaker and more difficult than its predecessor, 2014’s tentatively anthemic Attica!. The album is full of darkly valiant shoegaze, music that is cozy enough to hibernate under. – Pitchfork
Forever Sounds Track List
Dropping Houses
She’s Killed Hundreds
Donny’s Death Scene
Gone
Hello, I’m a Ghost
Hand of God
Sidewalk Sale
Better Days
Majestic-12
My Parade
Wussy on CBS This Morning
Wussy made their national US television debut on CBS This Morning, featured on the show’s November 29 Saturday Sessions. The band filmed an interview segment at the 60 Minutes Studio with CBS’s Anthony Mason, supplemented with additional footage shot on tour and in their hometown of Cincinnati. They performed the songs “Teenage Wasteland”, “Beatiful” and “Pizza King”. The performances are not currently available online; however the interview with Anthony Mason is featured here.
Cincinnati CityBeat reported on the coverage:
“Veteran Cincinnati band Wussy saw a huge boost of its national profile (and sales) over the weekend when the band was featured on CBS This Morning on Nov 29. The band’s network TV debut included an entertaining and funny interview segment, spliced with live footage (including shots filmed at this year’s MidPoint Music Festival, where the band opened for The Afghan Whigs in Washington Park). The featurette also showed band members Chuck Cleaver, Mark Messerly and Lisa Walker at their day jobs in Cincinnati and Shake It Records (the Northside record shop whose label branch releases Wussy’s albums) also makes an appearance.
The band’s appearance also included a performance of “Teenage Wasteland” from Wussy’s latest album, Attica! A bonus performance of another song from the album, “Beautiful,” was also filmed.
The appearance had an immediate impact on Wussy’s sales. CBS’s Anthony Mason (who conducted the interview) tweeted that Attica! entered the iTunes album chart at No. 89 after the airing. Amazon sold out of its stock of Attica! CDs.
WUSSY - Teenage Wasteland (Live Video)
WUSSY - Teenage Wasteland (Live at the Practice Space)
Cincinnati Magazine Video Premiere
Video by Michael Wilson
Audio by Henry Wilson
Recorded Feb 13, 2014 in the band’s practice space
Renowned Ohio photographer Michael Wilson shot a series of photos featuring Wussy for the May 2014 issue of Cincinnati Magazine. He also, along with his son Henry Wilson, recorded a video of the band performing “Teenage Wasteland” from their album Attica!. The video was premiered by Cincinnati Magazine in June 2014.
WUSSY - Teenage Wasteland (Live at KEXP)
"Teenage Wasteland" live in the KEXP studio.
Recorded June 20, 2014.
Host: Cheryl Waters
Audio Engineer: Kevin Suggs
Cameras: Jim Beckmann, Shelly Corbett & Scott Holpainen
Editor: Jim Beckmann
More About “Teenage Wasteland”
Download from KEXP: Song of the Day.
SPIN’s Best Songs of 2014 (#55 Teenage Wasteland): “Title references aside, no band besides the Who is supposed to write songs that build this well.. If you’re not weeping by the time you get to the chorus — and it’s every bit as heart-burstingly exultant as you’d hope it would be, by the way — you need some more guitar-rock earnestness in your life, friend.” – SPIN
“Walker pays homage to the Who in first track ‘Teenage Wasteland’, a pop song that rivals its namesake. She references ‘Baba O’Riley’ and the band’s legendarily explosive Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour performance (‘When the kick of the drum went off like artillery fire’), but it’s less about classic-rock head nods and double entendres and more about capturing what it’s like to be a kid and finding a band you connect with on the deepest level imaginable.” – Pitchfork
Village Voice: Funeral Dress Review by Robert Christgau
Wussy’s debut record Funeral Dress landed on Robert Christgau’s Dean’s List for the 2006 Village Voice Pazz & Jop critic’s poll: https://www.villagevoice.com/2006/01/24/deans-list/
He also reviewed the record in the February 1, 2006 issue of Village Voice, giving it an “A” grade and saying:
“Small, but about perfect, with Walker handling the human detail and Cleaver tossing off metaphors—a sideshow horse, a shunt to drain the fear from his brain. It’s an ideal partnership—vocally and lyrically, Walker grounds the old guy and he lifts her. The band sound is more Velvets than Burritos, yet country still. It’s as if they’ve reduced all of white Ohio to an articulated drone, unlocked a silo or warehouse of hummable tunes, and worked out the harmonies.” - Robert Christgau
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