Shoplifting - Shoplifting

  by Dominic B. Simpson

published: 26 / 10 / 2004

Label: Kill Rock Stars
Format: CDS

intro

Instantly classic lo-fi punk from Seattle four-piece Shoplifting, whose debut EP sounds "like a wild cross between Sonic Youth, the Jesus Lizard and the two Liars albums"

There’s some weird and wild things happening in the water over in the Pacific Northwest. For the past 14 years Kill Rock Stars has endured as a quality label, the Olympia, Washington label releasing music from the likes of Bikini Kill (featuring Le Tigre’s Kathleen Hannah), Sleater Kinney, Elliot Smith, and San Francisco’s magnificent, truly deranged Deerhoof. Seattle four-piece Shoplifting are two girls and two guys proclaiming that they were “born in huggy nation just below the hickey underground”, whatever that’s supposed to mean, and while we can take that as a cue for much lo-fi riot girl influenced guitar noise (especially given their history in previous KRS-related bands), this debut self-titled EP packs more invention into it’s four tracks than most bands do in their career. With a brilliant idiosyncratic drummer whose timing is, well, unique, there are echoes here of much of modern indie music’s current obsession with (you’re going to groan) punk-funk and Gang of Four. And the Slits of course, whose ditty 'Shoplifting' is probably the inspiration for this band’s namesake. In truth, though, while lazy journalist comparisons of the NME kind could be made with the many bands attempting that kind of sound, Shoplifting run riot with the post-punk template and actually sound more like a wild cross between Sonic Youth, the Jesus Lizard and the two Liars albums, held together by some brilliantly unique atonal guitar which briefly bring to mind early and mid-80’s Sonic Youth. And, like 'Confusion Is Sex'-era Sonic Youth, over the top there’s some extraordinary lyrics, hinting at dark, scarred sexuality and gender confusion, often to confrontational levels as with track three here, 'Ask Me', on which a slow, circular drum pattern is accompanied by lines like “And you’re dead/But you came into my room...you’re knees are in my back” before an unforgettably chorus of “and you ask me / ask me what’s between my legs!!”. First off, though, we have 'L.O.V.E.', which explodes with some frenetic rhythms over which the singer proclaims “watch out, this is insurrection”. 'Raw Nails Now' is even better, beginning with a spasmodic detuned guitar riff going up the fretboard before the song kicks in, bringing to mind Erase Erratta with it’s tortured marriage of horns and noise. And the final track, 'Contrapuntal Prancing', is a chaotic screamer with scream-of-conscious lyrics blurting out “go go go, mashed potato, twist feminist, pogo anarcho, fuckin’ create” before imagining having sex with French playwright and author Jean Genet on the “prancefloor”. But really, attempting to categorise what these deranged four track are like only services to obfuscate the brilliance of this release. Call this art-punk, lo-fi cacophony, feminist punk-funk, or whatever you want – it doesn’t matter, as this is one of the most wildly inventive, vibrant releases this year.

Track Listing:-

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