Sound Advice- The Latest From The B-52s' Cindy Wilson, Osees, Ratboys, and More!

So many records, so little time.

Aug 31, 2023

Longtime readers may recall that I reviewed 100 new (to me) records last year. Because ~~I’m a glutton for punishment~~ love music, I’m doing it again this year. This is the latest in the series.

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at several records, including the latest from the B52s Cindy Wilson, Osees, and Ratboys.

It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, so let’s get right into it!

Cindy Wilson, Realms (2023)

(Click the record to listen on your platform of choice)

It wasn’t lost on me that Realms, the second solo LP from B52s singer Cindy Wilson, was dropped the same week that the band’s Wild Planet turned 43.

Between the pandemic (bad) and the B52s’ extended farewell tour (awesome), Wilson readied Realms. “It’s [like] a slow-baking cake, which sometimes is better,” she says. “And because you were so tense during COVID times, it was definitely a relief to be able to be creative. It’s a psychological thing. I like working—I feel like it’s an important thing to do because I enjoy it, and it’s healthy for me to do it.”

On her debut, 2017’s Change, Wilson didn’t stray far from the Athens band’s signature sound, choosing updates over an overhaul. Producer Suny Lyons is back behind the boards, this time taking on an even greater role in developing the album’s sound and pushing the boundaries a little further. The result strikes a nice balance between digital and analog, similar to the B52s. There are synthesizers everywhere you look, but Wilson’s heavy Southern accent is here, too.

Wilson’s voice is more of an anchor in the band, blending beautifully with Kate Peirson’s and playing foil to Fred Schneider’s. Here, it floats above the music, serving more as a pilot guide than anything else.

The B52s defined themselves as a party band, staying light even when taking on more serious subjects. Realms takes a similar tone. It might be later in the night, but nothing here gets too serious.

Wild Planet starts with Wilson saying “PAAAAAAARTY” at the beginning of “Party Out of Bounds.” Realms ends with her singing, “This is not goodbye.” Let’s hope not.

The Symptones, S/T (2023)

Minneapolis in the summer is a world away from Minneapolis in the winter. The latter is a monochromatic landscape. The former is vibrant and full of color.

On their sophomore release, The Symptones evoke that summertime feel. I’ve written before about the very specific sound of Midwestern pop, and this record speaks that language.

"We wanted to capture the elements we liked the most from some of our earliest demos and really elevate them. We put a lot of effort into our arrangements but also let sparse songs stay that way."
~Lead singer/guitatrist Taylor Tuomie

Shadows of The Replacements are here, as are the likes of Soul Asylum & even the Jayhawks. The end result is a solid guitar-driven rock record full of melodies and just the right amount of jangle and power pop.

The band also flirted with the idea of recording this at home but quickly realized that was a bad idea, re-enlisted recording partner Ali Jaafar, and decamped to the legendary Flowers Studios. The result is a record that the band thinks is their best yet. It’s a point that’s hard to argue.

To be clear, this isn’t a “vibes” record, but listening to it, it’s hard not to imagine an evening in a packed bar with those roll-up garage doors that open to the street or out on the water as the sun sets (bottle of Surly optional). These are the images you hold dear in February when the air is trying to kill you.

Summer ends early in this part of the world, but as the band told me, The Summer Of Tones lasts all year.

Note: These are normally behind the paywall, but I wanted newer community members to have a chance to see what they might be missing. On Repeat is a 100% reader-supported publication. If you enjoy what you read here and want to support this project, the best ways to do so are to share it and subscribe.

Roy Moller- Songs From Be My Baby (2023)

Roy Moller’s songs take a more personal tone on his latest release. Like, a lot more. Several years ago, Moller decided to research his family history and got more than he bargained for. Enough to fill a book (also titled Be My Baby).

This record serves as its soundtrack.

“In May 2015, I went to Register House in Edinburgh to have my adoption papers opened. I already knew my birth mother’s name, that she had a Canadian connection and her and my father’s occupations but few other details.
This is the story of what I discovered – an extra-marital affair, an escape from starchy Ontario morals to a UK coming through the coldest winter on record, about to be rocked by scandal and Beatles as she’ll make a swift return to Toronto without a baby to keep but with plenty of secrets.
And this is the story of growing up adopted with a hidden family and hidden disability. Expanding on Be My Baby, a sequence of poems published by Dionysia Press in 2019, this is my story in song.”

The song titles are straightforward, as are the lyrics, with Moller singing about what he found as his mother’s story was uncovered. The result is a lovely record that refuses to be bogged down. It’s Moller’s life story, too, and the vocals are always upfront and intimate. Like the story’s twists and turns, the record takes time to get there, bouncing between different genres as it goes before wrapping up with “Unravelling,” where he sings, “Time to mend, take some time to mend.”

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When it comes to releasing music, Guided by Voices frontman Robert Pollard is the undisputed king of productivity. Mountain Goats’s Jon Darnielle is often mentioned in the same breath. But another John deserves a spot in the conversation: The Osees’ John Dwyer.

The Osees (or OCs…or The Oh Sees…or Thee Oh Sees…etc.) have released ~30 records over the last 20 years, and that doesn’t even count his involvement in Coachwhips, The Hospitals, or others.

The music is always a high-energy fever dream, with elements of garage rock, psych rock, and even a little punk. It’s also a style that has undergone several iterations over the years. Intercepted Message continues that trend, this time putting synthesizers out front. It’s a natural progression, adding to the familiar base of dual drummers and staccato riffs that remind so many of us of a scrappier version of DEVO.

Dwyer describes the record as:

A pop record for tired times.
Sugared with bits of shatterproof glass to put more crack in your strap.
At long last, Verse / chorus
A weathered thesaurus
This is Osees bookend sound
Early grade garage pop meets proto-synth punk suicide-repellant
Have a whack at the grass or listen while flat on your ass
Heaps of electronic whirling accelerants to gum up your cheapskate broadband
Social media toilet scrapers unite!
Allow your 24 hour news cycle eyes to squint at this smiling abattoir doorman
You can find your place here at long last
All are welcome
From the get go to the finale …. A distant crackling transmission of 80s synth last-dance-of-the-night tune for your lost loves
Suffering from Politic amnesia?
Bored of AI-generated pop slop?
Then this one is for you, our friends
Wasteland wanderer, stick around.
Love y’all
For fans of Teutonic synth punk and Thee Oh Sees (who the fuck are they?)
- John Dwyer

Okay then.

Dwyer never bothers with predictability, though. I did not have “Osees ballad” on my bingo card, but we get one on the nearly 7-minute-long “Always At Night,” with Dwyer swapping his normally choppy vocal style for a softer one that’s more Nick Cave than Mark Mothersbsaugh.

If you’re stuck in the corporate purgatory of Zoom meetings & Teams calls, closing track “LADWP Hold” offers you a nice update on the song normally heard while on hold or waiting to be let into the room.

Fans of the band’s earlier, grittier work might not find this to their taste, but expanding its sound has made for a refreshing, innovative record.

Ratboys- The Window (2023)

Look, I’ve written and erased this paragraph a dozen times now. There really are only so many synonyms for “fantastic.” But this record is definitely that.

Here’s the deal: After 10+ years of recording, the Chicago band took their music to the Emerald City, went into the studio with Chris Walla, and returned with something sure to be on just about everyone’s AOTY lists.

The change of scenery injected new life into the band’s sound and drew out all the elements that make their sound so distinctive. The fuzzy power pop feels brighter, and the Midwestern accents a little stronger. I could keep going, but all I’d be doing is keeping you from listening for yourself.

Also out recently:

Alpha Strategy- Staple My Hand to Yours EP (post-punk, noise rock)
Catalogue- Modern Delusion (post punk)
Device Operator- KiwiPop! (electronic, vaperwave)
Grassy Knoll- Sonic Chaos (demos 1991-1997) Volume 2 (fusion, avant-garde)1
Hardwicke Circus- Fly The Flag (pop)
Becca Mancari-Left Hand (indie, alternative)
Old Moon- Early Days EP (dreampop, shoegaze)
The Radio Field- Dont’s and Do’s (indiepop, jangle pop)

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on any (or all) of these records! Did I get it right, or am I way off the mark?

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