Emotional Response is run out of Flagstaff, AZ by the married team of Jen Turrell and Stewart Anderson. Over the last few years they’ve amassed a considerable amount of quality product, much of it on 7-inch vinyl and often with bonus tracks on the accompanying downloads, the vast majority landing betwixt the stylistic poles of punk and indie pop. The mailbox of this correspondent was recently brightened with a batch of Emotional Response platters featuring Ginnels, Cougar Vox, The Aislers Set, Primitive Calculators, Shark Toys, and more, and rather than focus on just one slab it felt appropriate to inspect and report on the entirety; the rundown is below.
Here it is six years into the second decade of the millennium and record labels are as necessary as ever in wading through the constant flow of new sounds and weeding out the prime movers from the also-rans. Of course, not all enterprises are equally successful at developing a distinct voice based upon enduring value and a resistance to faddishness, so it makes total sense to spotlight and salute those of commendable taste.
On occasion promising imprints can begin to register as increasingly finessed by committee, and in turn their discographies get burdened by varying levels of the humdrum. However, to this point the roster of Emotional Response happily connects as the byproduct of a pair of musician-fans. Although he’s participated in a long list of bands/projects, Stewart Anderson is probably best known for Boyracer, where he played beside his wife and label co-operator Jen Turrell.
It’s been a decidedly Brit-centric ride, unsurprising as Anderson originally hails from the UK, forming Boyracer in the Yorkshire town of Wetherby in 1990; together with that group’s “Pete Shelley EP,” the Sleaford Mods’ “A Little Ditty” b/w “I’m Shit at It” 7-inch goes a long way in establishing Emotional Response’s vibrations of punkish England.
As the venture’s second release, The Cannanes’ “Hit the Wall” 45 inaugurated a general devotion to indie pop quite nicely, and it bears mentioning the lineup of the long-running Aussie outfit that waxed it included Turrell and Anderson. Frankly, it’s more likely Jen and/or Stew will be participants on the records they issue than not.
For one example, Anderson is currently a contributor to Tangible Excitement!, a three-piece filled out by Scott Stevens (The Earthmen, Summer Cats) and Mark Monnone (The Lucksmiths), an indie-supergroup making their four song debut on half of Emotional Response 16. A 12-inch shared with the Ireland’s Ginnels, it unfurls as a full-bodied and highly complementary guitar-pop affair from a label that’s downright fond of split releases.
Tangible Excitement! flaunts sturdy songwriting, assured execution and smartly honed breadth. “Northland Food Court” strikes these ears as similar to New Zealand’s The Bats but with intermingling studio-pop lushness courtesy of the guest trumpet of Ladybug Transistor’s Gary Olsen, as “Baby’s Seen This Scene Before” (heard previously on the Emotional Response sampler Nail House Party) and “Foxy Troubles” jumps into unashamed (and thankfully non-retro) power pop territory; “Effectively Wild” blends the melodicism with a large dose of noise-pop amp burn.
Ginnels is the solo project of Grand Pocket Orchestra and No Monster Club guitarist/bassist Mark Chester, assisted here by drummer Ruan Van Vliet (for live purposes the personnel blossoms into a full band). The first of Ginnels’ three tunes comes on the strongest; “Easier When I’m Gone” melds ample guitar raucousness to anthemic, slightly achy pop-rock.
“My Eyes! My Ears!” relaxes the intensity without dropping the volume as vocal harmony is integrated into the flow via multi-tracking. “Reason to be Helpful” finds the pace slowing as punchy rhythm, a smattering of vibes and subtly assertive guitar deepens Ginnels’ lengthy finale. Obviously Chester’s a keen listener, and that he recalls Beserkley as much as C86 tempts further investigation.
Emotional Response 17 is a change-up in style and format, pairing Turrell’s new endeavor Enemy Anemone and Australian post-Riot Grrl act Cougar Vox on a split 7-inch that niftily plays from the inside out. Akin to the Tangible Excitement!-Ginnels combo it offers corresponding approaches with distinctive angles. Openly influenced by the underappreciated UK group Girls at Our Best!, Enemy Anemone keeps their brand of post-punk short and sweet; “Who is Your Enemy” barely breaks a minute, but its unflagging drums, organ strains and guitar tangles brandish an unfussy forward motion recalling a lost single from the Dutch Plurex label.
Sweetly resonating vocals add charm as “Off Season” sports sharp-edged riffing and weighty bottom end, though Enemy Anemone avoids calculated replication. To wit, “A Noisy Noise Annoys an Oyster” chooses the new breed of social media-inspired narcissism as its subject; impressively, the layered potency of its mocking exclamations references Instagram without losing any points.
Cougar Vox also rely on simplicity as a strategy, but “Craigieburn” grapples with Ramones-descended stomp and shout inside a lo-fi zone mildly reminiscent of Bratmobile, an aura enhanced by the punkish surf riff and weirdness-championing lyrical chant of “Odd.” In contrast to Enemy Anemone, Cougar Vox spread out a bit, which results in the neo-’60s-ish “Prue” being download-only. But with abundant harmonizing and sustain laid on with a trowel, it’s far from a footnote.
Those fondly remembering The Aislers Set, the San Francisco-based indie poppers led by AV Linton, should find Emotional Response 18 worthy of inquiry, as the 45 combines an unreleased 2008 tune by the group with fresh material from the duo of Linton and Anderson. Credited to The Aislers, “Big Ocean” is specifically an acoustic number showcasing the reliable songwriting skills and vocal warmth of Linton in tandem with the strumming prowess of Kevin Barker of Currituck County and Vetiver fame, and their resulting nugget is accentuated by a surge of crisp banjo.
“Big Ocean” is a welcome slice of uncovered history, but perhaps more of interest is Linton & Stewart’s “Looking for a Stranger on the Shore.” Dating from 2015, it mixes jangle and distortion with fuzz bass, lively drumming, and the engaged voice of Linton; along the way the catchiness fruitfully extends the indie pop sensibilities having helped to shape the work of both veteran participants. Plus, the download includes “Pigeons,” a tidy bonus pounder with vocals by Anderson.
Easily the most unexpected record in this roundup belongs to Melbourne Australia’s Primitive Calculators, Emotional Response 21 corralling two new songs from the esteemed synth-punk innovators. Anybody plunging into the burbling pit of post-punk from Down Under will surely cross paths with the Calculators, and naturally they burned wildest in the late ‘70s in association with the storied Aussie “Little Bands” movement.
In ’09 they reformed at the behest of countryman Nick Cave to play the inaugural Australian-based All Tomorrow’s Parties fest and have stayed active since. “I’m Fucked” b/w “Bad” is not the place for newbies to start, but it’s inspired enough that fans of the self-titled ’82 LP (documenting a ’79 gig in support of the Boys Next Door) will want to check it out.
That the Calculators are surly old guys with a predilection for cussing is inescapable given the a-side, but “I’m Fucked” skirts silliness through ragged electro reverberations in service to rhythmic thump; the whole is undeniably danceable but suitably nasty to appeal to those remaining stationary on the couch. Getting purposely nearer to ridiculousness is the flip, and at almost six minutes “Bad” is more than a smidge too long. But it’s also the first time this writer’s encountered elements of Suicide and Michael Jackson coexisting in one place, and that’s no small achievement.
Primitive Calculators deliver surprise, but Emotional Response 22, yet another split 7-inch teaming Los Angeles’ Shark Toys and Gainesville, FL’s UV-TV, takes the prize as best of this bunch. Bursting out of the gate with guitar so sharp it could cleanly shave the whiskers off a catfish, Shark Toys’ “New Song #3” earns comparisons to Swell Maps, but alongside “Delirium Tremens” they dwell on the outskirts of the neighborhood inhabited by their Cali predecessors on the Happy Squid label.
Rose Vastola’s singing definitely imbues UV-TV with underpinnings of pop, but the trio’s blare and bash is ultimately so caustic it’s difficult to describe “Lilith” as anything but gorgeous din. “Only Matters When” does inch toward the sound of indie pop or even shoegaze infused with a level of racket bringing early Times New Viking to mind.
There’re also two download only cuts. Shark Toys’ hyperactive live run-through of Vic Godard & Subway Sect’s “Vertical Integration” is a treat, but the gnawing-flailing-stampeding art-punk of UV-TV’s “Fear” steals the show. That it’s basically a bonus track bodes well for Emotional Response’s future activities, though it’s advisable not to tarry if the above stuff fits the description of one’s bag; a handful of subsequent releases have already broadened the label’s discography.
Tangible Excitement! + Ginnels:
A-
Cougar Vox + Enemy Anemone:
A-
Linton and Stewart + The Aislers Set:
A-
Primitive Calculators:
B+
Shark Toys + UV-TV:
A
