A fair amount of shoegaze-inclined stuff is hazy and distorted enough to annoy one’s parents (assuming one’s folks aren’t into Fun House) while possessing an approachability suitable for the patio of that hip bistro up the street. Such is not the case with Vancouver BC’s Weed; the ten selections on their sophomore long-player hit as hard as a nine-pound hammer as they radiate the raw heat of a rare-cooked steak, fitting for a unit also informed by grunge and punk. Running Back is out now on LP/CD/digital via Lefse Records.
Running Back provided this writer with his first exposure to the music of Weed. Prior to that introductory spin an admittedly kneejerk assumption had set in regarding the band’s choice of moniker; this was most assuredly going to be a bonged-out experience, but remaining to be discovered was the quality of the high and additionally the ratio of heaviness to mellow.
Upon listening, it became obvious how faulty a leap this unfounded conclusion actually was, Weed’s sound impacting these ears as powerfully expansive but not tangibly druggy. Had my peepers glimpsed the outfit’s short list of influences, namely My Bloody Valentine, Hüsker Dü, Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and The Band, my misapprehension would’ve been swiftly quashed.
Of those cited the first four are observable to varying degrees; maybe the inclusion of The Band is a Canadian thing, though singer-guitarist Will Anderson moved north of the border for college from the Badger State. Weed initially sprang to life as a solo affair (issuing a pair of cassettes), and in 2010 Anderson welcomed the entrance of fellow guitarist and songwriter Kevin Doherty.
Bassist Hugo Noriega and drummer Bobby Siadat joined soon after, and in the summer of ‘11 “With Drug” (that title couldn’t have helped with false impressions) b/w “Eighty” emerged, the 7-inch self-released on Cruising USA. Arriving on the same imprint the following year was the 4-song “Gun Control” EP, and in ’13 came their full-length debut Deserve on Seattle-based Couple Skate.
Weed is currently a trio, Siadat having focused his energies on his own project Bobby Draino. He does still play with them on occasion, touring being a Weed priority (all-ages shows in particular), though it was simple label complications that delayed the release of Running Back; earlier this year new home Lefse issued a teaser 45 coupling album track “Thousand Pounds” with “Turret,” a cut recovered from their first recording session.
Perusing through the back catalog, Weed has yet to make bold inroads into the sphere of originality, but on the other hand they avoid flagrantly aping the style of any specific predecessor; perhaps the most impressive aspect of Running Back is the uninhibited bulkiness of what’s essentially a late-‘80s/early-‘90s-situated shoegaze/indie rock merger.
The weightiness is immediately apparent, opener “Muscles” (most definitely not a Diana Ross cover) bursting forth with a metronomic blend of Sonic Youth and Creation Records-descended guitar atmospherics, this combination becoming quite potent during the feedback and atypical tunings found in its midsection.
The intensity steadily grows. Arising in the home stretch is raw-throated low-mixed shouting reminiscent of Dinosaur circa-You’re Living All Over Me. For newcomers, “Muscles” does a solid job of establishing Weed’s overall direction as it extends the strides made on Deserve. Moreover, the production finds them at their most vibrant.
No longer is it accurate to evaluate Weed as low-fi, a descriptor that occasionally surfaced in regard to earlier material. Modest studio circumstances aside, the adjective has never been especially appropriate, and through thick amp-spillage Running Back’s second number “Stay in the Summer” helps to bury the low-fi associations even further.
Youth-like hints do linger, though the unspooling thread of indie-shoegaze is a tad less directly taggable. From there, “Thousand Pounds” makes rapidly plain why Lefse choose it for the pre-album single. It’s brisk and rhythmically aggressive with the vocals low and the guitars up high; even at low volume it feels loud.
It’s a likely humdinger in the live setting. The same scenario applies to “Meet Me with Ease,” the guitar racket and drum gallop mingled with enough melodiousness to keep indie-pop lovers interested, at least potentially. And if reduced in the mix the voices aren’t buried; in fact they often glide emotively and support Lefse’s assessment of the band as “sentimental dream-grunge.”
As “Depending On” begins the abovementioned ingredients remain constant, and it’s progressively clear Anderson and Doherty are as invested in cultivating a consistent sound as they are in writing memorable tunes. This can present drawbacks, for Running Back’s individual songs don’t linger long in the mind after play, but also advantages; persisting in the memory is the LP’s general power.
In a sly move, “Depending On” starts unraveling just a little over halfway through. However, instead of snapping back into shape in a by-now fairly predictable SY-derived maneuver, the track keeps disintegrating, attaining a squalling feedback crescendo before gradually dissipating to close side one. “Puncture” opens the flip with a bang, a guttural bellow possibly nodding to “TV Eye,” though the guts of it wield speedy muscularity and chunky riffs swiped from the disciples of Mascis.
Furthermore, “Puncture” takes a collage-like detour slightly resembling Dinosaur’s “Poledo.” Slowing the pace is “Hiding Spot,” the hefty veneer retained through a raucous guitar presence as the level of tunefulness increases, though subtly; if noisy and melodic, Weed aren’t poppy, but it wouldn’t be incorrect to call them noise-pop.
As in “Muscles,” the uptempo “Never Leave” spreads out and emphasizes the shoegaze-indie combo; if underscoring a formula, it’s not so finessed that they connect like an act on autopilot. Far from it; “Yr Songs” is significantly less Sonic Youth-indebted than its titular contraction might indicate. And to work in another of Weed’s stated faves, the beaucoup distortion is likely to please fans of SST-era Hüskers.
Unsurprisingly given their leanings, closer “They Don’t Ask Me” expands to almost six minutes, a lengthy enough duration to adequately incorporate nearly all of the attributes detailed above. The whole is far from mind-blowing, but on the positive side Weed reliably sidestep triteness as Running Back bursts with energy surely carried over from their live shows.
Those indifferent toward Weed’s influences probably needn’t bother, but listeners consistently shouting “Gimme Indie Rock” while obsessing over their footwear might want to investigate right quick.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B
