Woven Bones: In and Out and Back Again

Artist: Woven BonesTitle: In and Out and Back AgainRelease date: May 18Label: Hozac Records
This is what the Black Lips hath wrought. The garage rock of much of the past two decades was about teenage kicks. In the parlance of the kids, it was punk ‘n’ roll, straightforward and unhinged blasts of three-chord rock. Now, it’s slowed down, drugged-up, and lo-fi — just like the Black Lips.
And the new debut record by the Austin threesome Woven Bones is no different. It’s not bad by any means, but it might take fans of Horizontal Action (the now-defunct but essential Chicago-based garage/punk zine that spun off into Hozac Records) aesthetic by surprise.

Woven Bones is part of the new generation of garage rockers who aren’t mining Nuggets for inspiration, but rather are mainlining Spacemen 3, the premier nodding-off drug rockers of the past 30 years. With just nine songs in 26 quick minutes, Woven Bones fairly successfully creates a hypnotic vibe, mostly thanks to the stand-up drummer’s reliance on his rolling tom-tom and a persistent chugging from the bassist. These guys don’t have time for flourishes and fills; they know such distractions could break the music’s spell on the listener.
A lot of bands are drenching their sound in reverb in 2010, but Woven Bones are drowning theirs in the echo-ey effect. Lest you think these kids are latter-day hippies, know that the singer sings in a monotone but pitch-perfect punk rock snarl.
The problem — and it’s someone mitigated by the brief length of the record — is the material. These aren’t songs that are gonna stick with you after the record ends. The lyrics are unintelligible, and while that isn’t always a problem with this kind of atmospheric rock, it sort of hurts Woven Bones on this record just because the songs aren’t that compelling.
It’s a decent start for these guys. They’ve got the attitude and the right feel for this kind of music, and if bands like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Brian Jonestown Massacre have become too slick and pro for you, Woven Bones is a good place to go back to basics.

WOVEN BONES – If It Feels Alright by ourbandcanbeyourlife-77

Best song: The two-chord “If It Feels Alright”Rotation: MediumDeja vu: The Jesus and Mary Chain’s first-ever band practice.I’d rather listen to: Spacemen 3, of course.Grade: B-
“Nothing Not New” is a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about it. Why? Because in the words of his editor, Martin Cizmar, he suffers from “aesthetic atrophy,” a wasting away of one’s ability to embrace new and different music as one ages. Read more about this all-too-common ailment here.
The “Nothing Not New” Archives
May 20 — Band of Horses: Infinite Arms (B-)May 19 — Sleigh Bells: Treats (D-)May 18 — The Black Keys: Brothers (B+) May 17 — LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening (A-)
May 14 — Odds ‘n’ Sods: CocoRosie, Natalie Merchant, The Sadies, and moreMay 13 — Male Bonding: Nothing Hurts (B)May 12 — Flying Lotus: Cosmogramma (B-)May 11 — The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards (A)May 10 — The National: High Violet (B+)
May 7 — Shapiro: Shapiro (C)May 6 — Gogol Bordello: Trans-Continental Hustle (C-)May 5 — Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record (A-)May 4 — The New Pornographers: Together (B-)May 3 — The Hold Steady: Heaven Is Whenever (A-)
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April 16 — Frightened Rabbit: The Winter of Mixed Drinks (B+)April 15 — Coheed and Cambria: Year of the Black Rainbow (D-)April 14 — Foxy Shazam: Foxy Shazam (D, later changed to a B)April 13 — MGMT: Congratulations (B+)April 12 — Odds ‘n’ Sods: Robyn Hitchcock, RJD2, Scorpions, and More
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April 2 — Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs: Medicine County (B)April 1 — Dum Dum Girls: I Will Be (A-)March 31 — The Dillinger Escape Plan: Option Paralysis (B+)March 30 — Local Natives: Gorilla Manor (B)March 29 — The Bird and the Bee: Interpreting the Masters: Hall & Oates (C)
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March 19 — Locksley: Be In Love (B)March 18 — jj: jj no. 3 (C-)March 17 — Xiu Xiu: Dear God, I Hate Myself (D+)March 16 — Drive By Truckers: The Big To-Do (B-)March 15 — April Smith and the Great Picture Show: Songs for a Sinking Ship (C)
March 12 — The Morning Benders: Big Echo (C+)March 11 — Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Beat the Devil’s Tattoos (B)March 10 — Acrassicauda: Only the Dead See the End of War (C-)March 9 — Titus Andronicus: The Monitor (B+)March 8 — Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: The Brutalist Bricks (A)
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