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I wanna mention really quickly that last-minute I got asked to appear on Analog Attack’s What Are You Listening To? podcast this Friday (September 26th). Tune in if you’ve got nothing better to do!
I might need to keep my staff pick brief this week. Brain is running on fumes. We’ll see how this goes… While it’s blazing hot outside today, there have been hints of the autumn season approaching. October is always my favorite time of the year. Pretty soon, I might annoyingly wanna only talk about movies rather than records. But speaking of the seasons changing, does anybody else operate in this way where you have records that you save to listen to until certain times of the year? You say shit like: “It’s just the perfect record for summer!” Perhaps this impulse is a rather dorky way to approach listening to music, but I’m definitely guilty of categorizing records in this way.
One record I’ve been listening to recently and that I always reach for when it’s particularly gloomy and grey outside is For Ever Grounded by The Effigies. Funny enough, a little birdy told me that Daniel might also be writing about a beloved punk band from Chicago this week. It’s funny to think about that this is technically the first Effigies full-length album. Following several great EPs, For Ever Grounded was released in 1984. While those post-punk influences were always detectable even as early as their first EP in 1981, on this LP they dive headfirst into that sound. Some people might consider this to be a major departure for the band. Maybe there was something in the air at this point in the mid-80s? But I feel like there’s several mid-period records by hardcore bands I lump into this category—like, bands who shift into more moody, melodic and contemplative songwriting. Obviously, Within These Walls by Toxic Reasons comes to mind… except for maybe the reggae song. Even Social Unrest on SU-2000 with a song like “There’s A Stranger Inside”. But For Ever Grounded is maybe one of the most intentional seismic shifts from a band’s early material into creating something different altogether.
Firstly, let me say before I joke around in a cheeky manner that I love this record dearly. But from the moment you drop the needle on the first track, you know you’re not about to hear “Body Bag - Part II”. The effect-laden, majestic and meandering guitar intro on “Smile!” with its droning, almost Eastern-influenced melody makes you feel like you’re about to hear something more like “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult. And to some degree, this is not far off. The second track, which is one of my favorites, “A Tight And Blue Cut” opens with a jaggedly funky bass riff totally drenched in chorus. The song then breaks into a totally angular marching 4-on-the-floor drum pattern, like a frantic, meth-fueled disco groove. The juxtaposition and separation between the propulsive bass groove and the melodically and rhythmically opposing high-pitch guitar work sounds so cool. Very otherworldly and unique. We even get some obviously artificial and canned-sounding hand claps mixed super loud, which also happen at the most catchy and opportune moments.
This record has so many great songs, just one banger after another. The next couple tracks sound more like the early Effigies records. Songs like “Silent Burn” and “Coarse In Vein” are much more riff-forward with big guitar chords and a driving drum beat more akin to hardcore. But then the final track, “Something That…” is a moment of pure pop goodness. The sweetness of the groovy, major-key bass line sounds like something that could be plucked from a mid-80s New Order record. The vocals on this song, with their bouncy, almost rap-like rhythmic cadence, come across more like Depeche Mode than a hardcore punk band. That said, The Effigies do decide to record a reprisal of their classic anthem “Mob Clash”, which originally appeared on their debut Haunted Town EP. Now, I love the original version from 1981, sounding very timeless and organic. But this re-recording on For Ever Grounded has a bit of an 80s production sonic makeover and is played at a faster tempo, which in some ways captures the band sounding much more confident. Even originally, “Mob Clash” had a bit of a funky disco hi-hat groove, and the way the band repurposes and reinterprets the song makes it feel like it gels perfectly along with the rest of the forward-thinking material on this LP.
If any of the disparate musical influences I’ve mentioned appeal to you… or if you’re even a fan of the early The Effigies material and you’ve resisted checking out this record, I highly suggest giving it another shot. You might need to go in with an open mind. Just realize that this classic melodic Chicago punk band is also good at writing a pure 80s pop song. Then again, maybe you’ll hate it. Oh well. I love it, personally.
Anyway, that’s all I’ve got. Next week I’m sure I’ll be talking about subjects more-so related to Jack-O-Lanterns and Jason Voorhees. As always, thanks for reading.
‘Til next week,
-Jeff