The Weird Weeds
http://www.weirdweeds.com
styles: folk-pop informed by free improv and modern classical
others: Deerhoof, The Microphones, Webern and Espers in a blender
 Weird
Feelings
Sounds Are Active, 2006
rating: 4.5/5
reviewer: jonathan p
The Weird Weeds are a mysterious bunch.
Although bands like Deerhoof, Xiu Xiu, and Smog have been singing the praises of
Austin, TX's Weird Weeds for some time, I imagine the hipster sheep that flock
to those bands' shows only get confused and uncomfortable during a Weird Weeds
performance. Songs start and stop in awkward places, one guitarist makes crazy
noises with pieces of chalk, the other guitarist often plays riffs on a
purposely out-of-tune guitar, and the drummer plays in and out of time like he
keeps getting distracted by a squirrel. Although I'm highlighting The Weird
Weeds' 'weirder' elements, they're at heart very much a song-oriented band. On
their new record, Weird Feelings, the trio have refined the approach they
took on both their 2005 debut, Hold Me, and the free internet-only EP
they put out earlier this year and merged it with newfound senses of focus,
emotional resonance, and compositional restraint.
I once described The Weird Weeds as Espers meets Storm & Stress — in other
words, the group specializes in songs that feature a vaguely folky foundation
(that is to say, acoustic guitars are sometimes involved, and there is an
emphasis on delicately constructed chords) with enough space for the musicians
involved to take detours or try out more experimental approaches than, say, your
average Mountain Goats record. Songs on the new record like "Tupper" and "For
You To See Me" are magnificent exercises in tension and release, possessing both
downright uplifting moments at times, along with dark undercurrents bubbling
just beneath the surface — on "For You to See Me," just check out guitarist
Sandy Ewen's soaring harmony and the chilling build-up that follows.
My personal favorite tune on Weird Feelings, "In Your Arms," illustrates
The Weird Weeds' powerful grasp on both economy and subtlety, managing to say
everything they need to in less than a minute and some change, allowing
everything the song says to be delivered with the utmost regard for the effect
all the individual sounds have on one other.
While many similar acts might try to draw out their ideas until they're
stretched within an inch of their life, The Weird Weeds understand the
importance of emphasizing individual ideas. Although I'm probably not at liberty
to explain the song's subject matter (full disclosure: drummer Nick Hennies told
me what it was about a ways back), it doesn't really matter; the poignancy of
the music coupled with the almost nostalgic feel to the lyrics and vocals will
surely give listeners enough fodder to come up with their own story.
1. Bad Dreams
2. Weird Feelings
3. Nose to the Wind
4. In Your Arms
5. Tupper
6. Broken Arm
7. You Win!
8. For You to See Me
9. Alley
10. Salt Shaker
11. One-Eyed Cloud
12. Cold Medicine
 Hold
Me
Edition Manifold, 2005
rating: 4/5
reviewer: jonathan p
Hailing from the musical hotbed of Austin, TX, the Weird Weeds fly in the face
of any notion of musical convention with their debut release, Hold Me,
exploring vast, uncharted territory where banshee wails and the sounds of
creaking doors sit comfortably next to bona fide pop hooks and beautiful chord
changes. Picture a group blending the chaos of a Tonic showcase with the
understated beauty of the freak folk that's all the rage these days (see:
Vetiver, Espers, Devendra Banhart, etc.) or a Storm & Stress less hell-bent on
deconstruction, and you'll be on the right track.
Hold Me opens on "Paratrooper Seed," which begins with a lovely, winding
melody performed on a flute (or at least a flute preset on some god-forsaken
Casio), allowing the Weird Weeds (a four-piece on the recording, now a trio) to
stake out their position as masters of the unpredictable: the melody winds up
and down, creating a miasma of tension and anxiety, and setting the stage quite
nicely for the 31 minutes ahead. The flute melody finally ends and the song
progresses into a slow, wading pool of a groove reminiscent of early Low (except
not as sleep-inducing) and the album kicks off to a roaring start.
"Hold Me/Popcorn Trees" features a beautiful guitar melody set against weird,
throbbing chords and a rumbling bass drum that evokes the aftermath of a nuclear
holocaust. Singer/drummer Nick Hennies' intones in his clear but somewhat
quavering tenor: "kernels came into spring believing winter's past," while
guitarist Kurt Newman's sinewy guitar lines add considerable flavor to the
affair.
"Holy Train Wrecks" reads like a special ed. folk sing along at a haunted
campground (I mean this in a good way). Singer/guitarist Sandy Ewen yelps
halfway through the ordeal as the ghost haunting the campground appears. But,
from the sound of it, the ghost haunting the campground isn't hate-filled and
vicious, but lovable with a slight sinister side just waiting to be unleashed
(kind of like Deerhoof's Milk Man character). "Soda Jerk" continues the
"lovable-but-sinister" theme with Ewen's sputtering slide guitar, the return of
the flute, and Hennies' watery, cascading cymbals, which brings to mind what
traditional Javanese Gamelan might sound like intermingled with some Downtown
New York ensemble.
Hold Me's only real misstep is the half-formed freak-out of "Castor
Plants," which, with its two-chord jamboree at the end, simply sounds contrived,
especially when compared to the solemn tone of the other tracks on the record.
Which isn't to say that's it's necessarily a bad song, but for me, at least, it
didn't really contribute much to the overall experience of the record.
One extremely minor faux pas aside (the song barely exceeds the 2-minute mark),
Hold Me is a powerful statement from a band, simply put, on the verge of
taking over the world. If kids are going crazy over Devendra's humdrum
paint-by-numbers songs, wait 'til they hear The Weird Weeds!
1. Paratrooper Seed
2. Fifty Dollars
3. Castor Plants
4. Hold Me/Popcorn Trees
5. Holy Train Wrecks
6. Bachelor Party
7. Bright-Work
8. Soda Jerk
9. A Duck
10. Ribs & Wrinkles
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