Indie Basement (9/26): the week in classic indie, alternative & college rock

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Welcome to autumn. It’s a cliche to say that it’s the best time to be in NYC but it’s also true and I’m happy to say that this first week of fall has brought not one, not two but (skipping three) four albums that I love and have all given Album of the Week status. (You’ll have to head below to find out what they are.) We’ve also got the excellent debut from Scottish duo Quad90 and an album of sound effects that only Fred Armisen could’ve made.

This week’s Indie Basement Classic is the debut album from one of the ’80s most distinctive pop groups.

Over in Notable Releases we’ve got reviews of new albums from Geese, Jeff Tweedy, Neko Case and more.

On the BrooklynVegan Interviews podcast this week I talk with Howlin’ Pelle of The Hives, and on BV Weekly, Dave and Andrew discuss the impressive Primavera Sound lineup and more.

Head below for this week’s reviews.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK #1: Cate Le Bon – Michelangelo Dying (Mexican Summer) The Welsh indie iconoclast’s seventh album is a beautiful, gut-wrenching walk through “all-consuming heartache”

“This is how we fall apart / I’m on the ropes / You’re on the wave / I’d sing love’s story / But nothing’s gonna save it.”

Cate Le Bon has always had melancholy running through her veins, able to do more with a sigh than most can manage with an entire song. That ability has carried her through lyrics that can often be oblique and strange, but on her seventh album there’s no mistaking the subject. Michelangelo Dying is a gut-punch breakup record, delivered with gentle, ornate beauty.

It’s also a further refinement of the sound she’s been exploring since 2019’s Reward — Bowie’s Berlin trilogy refracted through the Cocteau Twins’ mid-’80s goth wonderland. Heavily treated guitars and saxophone, deep-sea bass, and glowing synths create a bog of “all-consuming heartache” that pulls you in. Cate says it all arrived at once — the lyrics, the music, the arrangements — whether she wanted it out in the world or not. “I didn’t want to discuss them but they wanted to be discussed, so I surrendered to it.”

Euan Hinshelwood’s saxophone mirrors Cate’s voice in many ways — emotive, sultry, but never slipping into ’80s kitsch. The album rewards listening at high volume, when every detail in the mix comes alive: the multilayered bath of “Mother of Riches,” or “Ride,” a duet with fellow Welsh legend John Cale. There are even flashes of sunlight among the shadows. Michelangelo Dying is Cate Le Bon’s most fully realized album yet and, despite all the heartbreak (or perhaps because of it), one of her most compelling.

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK #2: Sloan – Based on the Best Seller (Murderrecords / Yep Roc) Every band’s 14th album should be this great

“We’re like city-states that coexist,” is how Chris Murphy described Sloan’s democratic nature on the Revolutions Per Movie podcast, noting that each of the band’s four members writes and sings the songs they bring to an album. “We share space on the albums, but not necessarily in the songs themselves. So Patrick can come in with a song and say, here’s how it goes.” It’s this formula — along with splitting songwriting royalties evenly — that has kept one of Canada’s greatest bands together for over 30 years, still making great music.

Based on the Best Seller is Sloan’s 14th album, and at this point fans know what to expect: expertly crafted power-pop steeped in the ‘60s and ‘70s, and each member bringing their own distinct voice. Guitarist Patrick Pentland leans into fist-pumping hard rock riffs; bassist Chris Murphy channels Paul McCartney with witty turns of phrase; guitarist Jay Ferguson adds baroque pop flourishes informed by his encyclopedic record collection; and drummer Andrew Scott remains the wild card, always throwing curveballs.

Their individuality is clear, but it’s the way they contribute to each other’s songs — especially those harmonies — that makes it Sloan. Longtime touring keyboardist Gregory McDonald’s presence is felt here as well, especially on Murphy’s piano-led tracks and “Fortune Teller,” which tips its hat to the Beach Boys with a touch of “Good Vibrations” organ.

Sloan are one of the most reliable groups of their era, but Based on the Best Seller is an especially strong entry. Pentland delivers one of his best songs in ages with “Here We Go Again”; all three of Ferguson’s tracks are terrific (“Capitol Cool” might be the most Sloan song on the album); and while Scott only contributes two, both “Baxter” and “No Damn Fears” are punchy and full of attitude. Sloan albums are always good bets — but sometimes, like here, they overdeliver.

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK #3: Stealing Sheep – GLO (Girl Life Online) (G-IRL Records) The Liverpool trio’s first proper album in six years blends brains, beats, and the band’s signature interplay

What a fascinating progression Stealing Sheep have made over the last 15 years. The arty Liverpool trio began making proggy folk-pop on their 2012 debut Into the Diamond Sun, but by 2015’s Not Real (my favorite album of that year), they had transformed into something closer to Hot Chip or Metronomy. They stayed on a similar track with 2019’s Big Wows (their last proper studio album), but then began experimenting more broadly, both musically and visually, paying tribute to synth pioneer Delia Derbyshire and even starting their own art festival. Now on their own G-IRL Records, they’ve made their most aggressive turn into dance music yet, and it’s their best record since Not Real.

A concept record of sorts, GLO (Girl Life Online) is, in their words, “a commentary on the girl gaze, identity performance, and navigating culture through a female lens — it’s about reclaiming our voice, exploring millennial girlhood in today’s toxic online world, and searching for something utopian and real beyond the screen.” That reclamation mostly happens on the dancefloor, as Stealing Sheep pull from techno, dubstep, two-step, Big Beat, and other club subcultures while keeping pop songs at the core.

The interplay between members Becky Hawley, Emily Lansley, and Lucy Mercer remains key; they trade verses, harmonize, and weave voices into the dense sonic fabric. Perhaps their own take on Brat and the broader ’90s revival, GLO stands firmly on its own: banger after banger, with brains behind every irresistible beat.

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ALBUM OF THE WEEK #4: Automatic – Is It Now? (Stones Throw) The LA trio’s third and best album yet embraces rhythm, humanity and connection

For their third album, LA post-punk trio Automatic have melted a little ice off their coldwave sound. Unlike their previous two records, they recorded mostly live to analog tape, working with Florence + The Machine drummer Loren Humphrey as producer. He also provided additional percussion on the album and, alongside drummer Lola Dompe and their array of vintage rhythm boxes, the results arefunkier, more human grooves that really open up Automatic’s sound.

The first thing you hear on Is It Now? are bongos, followed by dubby bass, and suddenly we’re in Slits territory by way of Gary Numan, with “Black Box” making for an enticing invitation to dance. “You have to get people moving,” says Izzy Glaudini. “It’s harder and harder to enjoy a sense of escapism; it’s tinged with delusion. Action feels more rewarding.” Other highlights include “mq5,” which tips its hat to Delta 5 and is loaded with echoey tom fills and jazzy flutes that sit beside the band’s signature arctic synth blasts; the breakbeat-powered “Mercury” with its Ironside synth sirens; and the nature-embracing, Tubeway Army-esque “Country Song.”

Lyrically, Automatic are also looking to make more of a human connection — turning off their phones, getting out of the city, and disconnecting in general. “I feel like this album displays all the different ways you can react to the current state of the world,” says Lola. Is It Now? ends with the frantic, driving “Terminal (طرفي),” featuring artist Diana Quandour, who sings in Arabic: “Enough is enough / The coffee boils / And the fire doesn’t go out / It continues to burn day and night.” A fire has clearly been lit under Automatic, too — Is It Now? is a major upgrade.

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Quad90 – QUAD90 (Last Night in Glasgow) Dancey post-punk, no wave, and leftfield disco collide on this Scottish duo’s accomplished debut

If this were the ’80s, I’d have Automatic’s* Is It Now?* on one side of a Maxell XLII tape and Quad90’s debut on the other — a perfect pairing of funky post-punk and disco-tinged pop. Amelia Lironi and Naomi Mackay met at Glasgow’s Riverside Music College and bonded over a shared love of disco and post-punk. Quad90 released their killer debut single, “Le Blank,” in 2023, which earned spins on BBC 6 Music and Radio Scotland. That track—lithe and funky with a rock-solid disco groove and ethereal harmonies—sits at the heart of the group’s sound, which owes equally to Chic, The Slits, and ESG. (At times, they also bring to mind under-appreciated ’00s-era group Gramme.)

“Le Blank” also features on their excellent self-titled debut, which stretches out into other corners of dancey post-punk, no wave, and leftfield disco—not to mention pop and rock. Highlights include a fantastic cover of James Chance’s “Contort Yourself,” the slinky pop of “Too Much Too Soon,” the country/R&B-tinged “Sentimental Sunday,” and “Boomerang.” Elsewhere, “Unequal Division” and “Overcome” channel Blondie with panache. Throughout, the echoey production, solid grooves, and tight musicianship hold everything together. Quad90’s debut is a statement of intent and a thrilling listen. I’m looking forward to seeing where they head next.

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Fred Armisen – 100 Sound Effects (Drag City) A sound effects album only Fred could make—equal parts absurd and oddly specific

Fred Armisen got his start as a drummer, most notably in Trenchmouth, where his stage banter revealed the offbeat sense of humor that would eventually define his comedy career. He’s long blurred the lines between music and comedy—releasing an instructional DVD as his Jens Hannemann character (“Complicated Drumming Technique”) and touring with his still-running standup show Comedy for Musicians but Everyone is Welcome. Still, his new album is both probably not what you’d expect, but also the most Fred Armisen thing ever: 100 Sound Effects.

“I was thinking about haunted house sound effects albums and how fun those seemed to record,” says Armisen. He originally wanted to make it with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio, but since this isn’t a “music” album, Albini recommended he talk to Dave Grohl, who hooked him up with engineer Darrell Thorp. The album is dedicated to Albini.

Of course, this is a sound effects record only Fred would make. (Does anyone else make them anymore? Probably not.) About a third of it is dedicated to music-and-touring-related bits, including “Music Venue Employee Kicking Everyone Out While Throwing Away Bottles,” “Sparsely Attended Show Encore with Someone Shouting ‘Where’s Jim?,’” and “Small Theater Audience Talking and Ignoring Shshsh.” He also pays tribute to The Jam with the cover art.

There are a few of the expected haunted-house style effects—glasses breaking, ghostly footsteps—but all with a Fred twist, like “Haunted House Ghost Going Upstairs but the Door is Locked.” He also brought in a few friends (Bill Hader, Tim Heidecker, Mary Lynn Rajskub), though unless you know they’re there you probably won’t notice. Like his standup, 100 Sound Effects is tailor-made for musicians, but anyone who appreciates Fred’s skewed humor will find something to laugh at. I’m glad Drag City seemingly gives him carte blanche to do stuff like this.

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INDIE BASEMENT CLASSIC: Fine Young Cannibals – Fine Young Cannibals (London/IRS, 1985) The Beat’s Andy Cox & David Steele reinvented themselves with singer Roland Gift timeless results on their debut album which turns 40 this year

When early-’80s ska-tinged pop group The Beat (aka The English Beat) split after three terrific albums, the band’s main creatives went in two directions. Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger formed new wave pop act General Public (briefly with Mick Jones, who left to start Big Audio Dynamite before their 1984 debut was released), while guitarist Andy Cox and bassist David Steele launched retro soul/R&B outfit Fine Young Cannibals.

Cox and Steele auditioned over 500 singers after placing an ad in the music press, but they kept thinking of Roland Gift, whose former band Akrylykz had toured with The Beat. He got the call.

Cox’s wiry rhythm guitar and Steele’s disco-inspired basslines carried over from The Beat, but with Fine Young Cannibals they clearly had the charts in mind. Their 1985 self-titled debut was a distinctly mid-’80s take on soulful pop, still with a toe in post-punk but mostly walking a creative tightrope between early-’60s influences and 1985 sheen. Their debut single, “Johnny Come Home,” was a nervy, striking calling card that showcased the group’s unique energy and Gift’s amazing voice. It’s one of the best opening salvos of the decade.

The rest of the album nearly lives up to it, splitting time between dancefloor fillers (“Don’t Ask Me to Choose,” “Move to Work,” “Time Isn’t Kind,” “Like a Stranger”) and swoony slow-dance numbers (“Funny How Love Is,” “Couldn’t Care More”). Then there’s their powerhouse, transformative cover of “Suspicious Minds,” featuring backing vocals from Jimmy Somerville of Bronski Beat and Communards, which remains one of the most distinctive Elvis remakes ever.

Produced mostly by Cox and Steele, the record was modern but avoided the overused sonic tropes that would soon date so many late-’80s releases. Those glossy effects would rear their head on FYC’s laboriously made second (and final) album, The Raw & The Cooked which yielded worldwide smashes “She Drives Me Crazy” and “Good Thing.” The self-titled debut remains the real gem, though.

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