Stylistically complementary yet with contrasts in execution, the bands Dancer, hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, and Whisper Hiss, based in Portland, OR, each get a side on Split, a new LP that’s available October 18 (after a brief delay) via the reliable Athens, GA label Happy Happy Birthday To Me. It comes with hand-stamped labels in a handmade three-color screen-printed matchbook fold-over sleeve plus insert and a download card. Those with an unscratchable itch to hear these dozen tunes right now can snag a digital copy over at Bandcamp.
Split LPs span back nearly as far as the format itself, but the impulse to share sides really flourished as part of underground rock’s regional scenes in the years after punk’s big reset. Although not all split LPs featured contributors from the same or neighboring cities or towns, geography as a unifier was essentially the norm. But in these post internet days, long distance relationships are far more common and make far more sense as pairings, particularly when aligned by a record label majordomo who comprehends the value of close proximity over the release of two separate 6-song EPs.
Dancer’s side begins with “Priority Girl,” a bouncy, sassy, slightly new wavy dose of pop-rock that could’ve raised the eyebrows of an IRS Records scout circa ’82 or thereabouts, at least until the band lets loose with a little racket in the mid-section. “Didn’t Mean To” follows, delivering a more charged up strain of melodic clang with a solid undercurrent of post-punk.
The title “Paging Planet Earth” positively screams new wave, a scenario that’s aided by Gemma Fleet’s vocal timbre, a little bubbly but smart (shades of Debbie Harry and more so Claire Grogan). However, the cut has an arty edge (while still steadfastly pop) that deepens the appeal. So far so very old school, but “You Saint” brings a twist with prickly guitar lines giving the song a more contemporary spin.
Likewise, “Gig Economy” is more topical with an instrumental thrust to match, sounding as if Dancer could’ve landed on a wildcard Kill Rock Stars 7-inch in the early ’00s (funny that they’re not the band from Oregon on this split). The feel of the track extends into the side’s closer “Limbo Land,” a sturdy hunk of ‘90s indie with post-punk tendencies and those surges of buzzy racket flaring back up.
To expand on an observation above, if I’d been asked to guess which of the bands here hailed from Scotland, it’s quite likely my choice would’ve been Whisper Hiss. Indeed, their side opener “Fawn” sounds like they could’ve had a single released by, if not Rough Trade, then certainly Cherry Red, but then the Farfisa (or a similar model of keyboard) emerges to stymie any easy encapsulation.
Speaking of new wavy song titles, “Moveable Objects” is right on the money, although the band shoots instead for the adjacent post No Wave groove zone as Rhiannon Flowers shows impressive range at the microphone (she also plays the keys). “Come Feel Me” continues in this mode while cozying up to a Pylon-esque party-in-the-club feel.
“Never Twice” throws a major curveball, sending post-Spector ’60s pop through a Blondie filter, and then with “Go Again” they hit the mid-’80s College Rock bullseye. Whisper Hiss close with “Envision Another,” the track full of edgy energy, stirring visions of a band at the cusp of the Reagan administration who are feeling out pop possibilities from a foundation of pre-hardcore punk rock.
Dancer and Whisper Hiss are both clearly of the moment, but they imbue their Split with a classic feel.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
