Nervous Patterns--s/t
Cochon 2004
Alicja Trout and Jay Lindsey have been in so many of the best bands ever, as their respective resumes continue to grow, the situation verges further on the ridiculous--how in the world can two people be so damn talented? Well, brace yourself for the next brilliant installment in this saga. With Nervous Patterns, this dynamic duo have blessed the world with another instant classic. If you thought it was a joy and a privilege as a listener to cheer these two on before, you ain't heard nothing yet.
More than any other project Alicja and Jay are or have been involved with, Nervous Patterns most resembles their main gig, the Lost Sounds. That said, Nervous Patterns is coming from a place much more traditionally new wave. Gary Numan's best work, up through his Telekon album, seems the best reference point--plastic and robotic musically, with humanity creeping in via the vocals. Alicja delivers angelic vox most akin to her work with Mouserocket, which is exactly how you'd want it. However, Jay's voice is the real story of this Nervous Patterns disc--Jay Reatard may have been one of the greatest screamers in punk rock history but Jay Lindsey has figured out how to temper that fury, knowing exactly the proper points in which to release it. From cyborg clean, to grating extreme, and all points in between, his vocal performance throughout this album is masterful and possesses a unique kind of sophistication. Who would've ever dreamed it would take calming things down to make him more dangerous as a musical force? It's all incredible to take in, regardless of who's at the mic.
As usual, these two have come up with a flawless batch of tunes. The best of the Alicja fronted Nervous Patterns output includes both "Black Whole" and "Experiments In Lymerics." "Black Whole" comes off as the perfect midpoint between Mouserocket's self-titled debut and the Lost Sounds' Black-Wave disc--melodic, off-kilter, indie slanted pop, with a dark feeling undercurrent. "Experiments In Lymerics" feels like the obvious 'hit' of this collection, with its silly, warped lyrics and infectuous melody. Jay shines brightest on "These Patterns" and "Pictures On My Wall." With "These Patterns," he comes closest to nailing the aforementioned Numan vibe, this one having a very vintage 80's feel, in general. "Pictures On My Wall" proves ultimately to be the best cut of the entire slab. With its acoustic guitar strains and Jay's legato vox, it sounds like the theme to some new wave spaghetti western, if such a thing actually existed. It's an exciting listen and perhaps the best thing he's ever laid to tape, period--yes, it's really that special.
The big kicker about Nervous Patterns: word has it this is the stuff Alicja and Jay do "just to goof around"; none of it origianlly intended for public consumption. This leads one to wonder just how many other nuggets of gold these folks are actually hording. The strange thing is, Nervous Patterns is arguably the best thing either of these two have ever produced. Even though it probably shouldn't be, considering how great all their other stuff is, this disc winds up being the best surprise so far of 2004. Very necessary.
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