Squid - Bright Green Field (2021)
The debut album by Women might forever live in the shadow of its younger brother, the sophomore Public Strain (2010).
The band's unique brand of trebly, angular dueling guitars and unconventional rhythm section stylings was definitely already present when they created this album, albeit in a shorter and rather unfocused presentation. Whereas their sophomore is praised for its consistent quality, this one should be recognized for the height of its peaks. I wouldn't hesitate to say that their best songs are in this album.
Clicking on the album cover will redirect you to the album's RateYourMusic page, where you can find links to it on the streaming service of your choice!□■■■■ | 7
Resolution Square
I don’t care what they say. This intro is really cool, and the album would feel incomplete without it. Listen to it; it’s such a delicious sound! And to know the way they made it makes it ten times cooler, like check this out, it’d ridiculous xD anyway I could listen to this for hours on end :3
□■■■■ | 9
G.S.K.
DUN DUN! This song is 75 % percussion at the beginning! And then the way the vocals come in is so show-stopping, especially with that dramatic synth :) Overall this song strives to cover all ends of the sonic spectrum, most evidently between the verses - very evidently, truly. A concise introduction and a pretty chill one at that :3
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Narrator
From the very first second it sounds so exciting. Sparse and inviting. You best believe you’re in for the single of the year. Like, when it gets to the verse it’s really hard for me to think otherwise. Every instrument gives the song a defined texture, and they interlock with each other giving it just enough room to breathe. The drums are the only static element, and despite playing a simple 4/4 groove, it becomes incredibly tasteful with all these layers on top. I could highlight the bass btw! It’s so much fun to play, I become entranced when I play along to it, especially the quieter parts, where it makes a polymeter of 6/4 over 4/4. It works amazingly. The feature on this is amazing too. Martha’s hushed vocals are so enticing, especially after the second verse in the stabby joe section. I’ll simply say that not one second of this track is wasted. The final ones are devastating.
□■■■■ | 5
Boy Racers
We got more grooves to go! Here once more the instruments are interlocking beautifully. Btw the bass is doing a 5:8 polymeter this time :3 I really like the sound of the synths during the verses, and the refrain is one of my favs in the album. Perhaps the most off-putting moment of the album is when the listener gets to the ambient outro but then they notice they’re only halfway through xD it gets really loud at one point, and very disjointedly at that, struggling to help its case
□■■■■ | 6
Paddling
The electronics have a much more structured role as the next track begins, cutely flourishing and unfolding the song as they go. This one has the particularity that Anton sings lead on it! I like his vocal timbre, I think he should sing more :3 but soon enough the instrumental becomes more organic, and also more fast-paced. It’s so much fun! I like the breezy choruses too. Speaking of breezy, it gets so much momentum as it progresses to the end, which makes that my favorite part of the song.
□■■■■ | 8
Documentary Filmmaker
The change is so sudden when this one comes on. No percussion, just scant synth and guitar making quite a solemn mood, on which the trumpet fits nicely. I really like the way all the instruments start slowing down after the line “I’ll sit and watch the seasons change”, it’s almost mind-bending, and it truly sounds like the seasons are passing by before your eyes. But all of a sudden it starts to pick back up in quite a violent way, all to land more or less in the same mood as at the beginning. The ambient outro is very nice though, I could hear it for much longer than it lasts.
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2010
For the longest time I was avidly disregarding this track. The guitars made no sense, neither did the double vocals (ironically, this time Anton’s irritated me for their delivery), and much less sense made that random noise rock blowout. I even went so far as to skip this one when listening to the album. But one day I listened more closely. That twinkly guitar when it eventually goes into 4/4 suddenly shone a light onto that last portion. That “15 year program” line sounded more concerning. At least now I like that part.
□□■■■ | 11
The Flyover
The other interlude of the album (even if the first one is an intro)! This one is more organic tho, just a cornet passage, and a pretty evocative one at that.
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Peel St.
The electronic whirr that concluded the previous interlude begins awkwardly coming into the shape of that glitchy keyboard line that drives this song, in perhaps the strongest groove in the album, and with Ollie absent in the last two-ish tracks his vocal reappearance is all the more exciting. The sonic ground this song goes on to explore give the song a very cathartic feel, getting more anxious as it goes. The bridge in particular adds to this with that sound which seems to want to explode any time soon.
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Global Groove
Sometimes the intro for this is a brooding omen and sets the mood of apprehension so well, sometimes it’s just 🗿 xD then it comes in at a lethargic pace, yet with a stomp, and deadpan vocal delivery that warns about something. It in fact erupts soon enough into a sort of death march crowned by tenebrous trumpets - and it kicks ass. The last third or so is devastating. One time I thought up an interesting dystopic setting this song would take place in, where the sampled vocals interspersed with the spoken word are a conversation in a society where everyone’s every uttering is recorded so it can be referenced in later situations. Kinda frightening actually
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Pamphlets
The opening, two-note riff clears up the fog set by the last track, and sets you up for the rager that’s up next/ It’s simply the perfect serving of skronk and breezy kosmische when it becomes 4/4, and when it gets to the verse it’s so exciting :D “Pale teeth and white smiles!” A very upbeat punk jab at political propaganda. It sounds like every moment is elevating the next one. The guitar drone that tha last third of the song lays on is a very beautiful noise, as well as that double cowbell assault that bring the song to its climax. Simply a perfect ending for the jack-of-all-trades that this album is.