By Tucker Petertil
A nice all-ages show is shaping up at the Midnight Sun, featuring Jeremy Jay’s rich pop songs that conjure up both Morrissey and Jonathan Richman, Seattle’s wonderful Curious Mystery, and Portland’s Nucular Aminals. All three bands have records out on the K Records label.
Nucular Aminals might sound like something George W. Bush tripped over in a speech, but they’re a serious bunch. The band — guitarist/singer Robert Comitz (of Hornet Leg, November Witch), Erin Schmith on Farisa organ, bassist/singer Jheremy Grigsby, and drummer Wiley Hickson (Total Bros.) — have a self-titled debut record full of bare-boned, precise arrangements of guitar, bass drums and organ, with an always active undercurrent of Farisa organ and two male singers who have a slight adenoidal sound similar to the vocalist from They Might Be Giants. This is especially evident on “Kitty Pity.” which also might be the best song here in terms of catchy pop.
Aminals’ songs either bounce along or slow down to ruminate over topics such as performance artist Bob Flanagan, who was a body piercing pioneer and cystic fibrosis sufferer. Other song titles explore ever popular NW themes such as “Eat Me” and “Gay and Gay.” Those two songs also are the happiest seeming things amid a bunch of songs that are downcast, if not downright gloomy.
The second track “Ammut Eats” seems to exist in a silent world that would fit in as the soundtrack to the movie “Melancholia”. It’s there that they reach their sadness nadir and things begin to look up, but happiness is not the goal here. It’s introspective downer music and probably should not be mixed with alcohol, as injury or death may occur. Less theatrical than Morrissey and less serious than Ian Curtis, this must be the miserablist side of Portlandia.
Instrumentally, their sound is math-precise rock arrangements. Organ and guitar lines race through the songs only to stop on a dime while the vocals seem to slow down and focus. The band as a whole is deployed through tight changes without an untethered solo in sight.
The Nucular Aminals aspire to play summery beach pop music, except that it’s cloudy and not that warm — and… did I just see snow? ◙
Nucular Animals play January 27 at the Midnight Sun, 113 N Columbia St, with Curious Mystery and Jeremy Jay, at an all ages show for $5.
