Public Strain
by Women

From teague 07/21/2020 21:52 | #255958

Some obvious Velvet Underground influence, but there's also hints of Sonic Youth and Swell Maps. The sense of tension is absolutely paralyzing at times, the emphasis is really on the performances and the arrangements rather than the songwriting, but that's also great as well. One of 2010's best, sad it's rated fairly low.

From Anti 03/19/2020 19:33 | #248870 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Why are people mostly downvoting that "Velvet Underground meets Beach House" comment? It's pretty spot on and I think it's a great thing. If you disagree you must hate the album or are listening to the wrong album. This album is amazing and I'm glad it's being resurfaced for praise.

I hope this record doesn't get forgotten over time, at the very least it deserves a lot more recognition than it already has in my opinion.

Right from the very start the enormous ambition of this album becomes obvious, "Can't You See" is a huuuuge soundscape with a desperately pretty song being cried out at the centre of it. Such an unconventional way to start but then appropriate given the unsettling and dissonant nature of it, which comes to characterise the album. It may not sound easy to listen to at first, but it rewards patience.

This whole album feels like an unlikely meeting point between the style and attitude of The Velvet Underground and the ambitious-yet-catchy songwriting of The Beach Boys. The result is simply exhilarating; there are horrifying and loud soundscapes like the song "Bells", cathartic punk moments in the song "Drag Open" and then there's a brilliant closer in the song "Eyesore". This track is perfectly placed at the end as it encapsulates everything about this album, it's as catchy as it is complex.

I'm a big fan of Preoccupations/Viet Cong and Cindy Lee, but this album is still the best thing to have come out of this group of musicians in my opinion.

From flamingyesdept 05/23/2016 17:09 | #166722

Velvet Underground meets Beach House

From junodog4 06/09/2015 03:33 | #143364 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

Worthy of attention, but won't be everyone's favourite.

From Gooz 08/27/2014 13:36 | #120503

Reminds me beach fossils vocal with noises. Good

sounds like a bunch of disorganized schizophrenics playing pre-Rubber-Soul Beatles... so it's great. Like Psychocandy but dissonant instead of fuzzy.

"Heat Distraction", "Drag Open", "Locust Valley" are the standouts.

From cartoken 06/10/2011 21:16 | #22978 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

a forgotten good album from 2010 , in maybe an exceptional year of good records. still, deserves some attention.