The Union Electric – “Thylacine” b/w “Bugs” 7” (Poetry Scores)
When alt-country was popping off fifteen years ago, this is what I wished, and have always wished, it sounded like. Instead, it sounded like what it was: First wave indie-rockers getting old too quick and providing the ‘90s version of bland college rock in the form of blatant slumming. The crap seems to be making a tepid comeback in the form of 20-member tedium-fests disguised as review-style bands. The next time I hear a mandolin or a ukulele, I might just grab the fucking thing and break it over the offending musician’s back. Play a real instrument, you goddamned show-off. What’s for breakfast, asshole? Lentil soup in a rusty hubcap? Vegan burrito party on the out on the porch! Don’t let the screen-door hit you in the ass on the way to whatever constitutes the dollar-bin these days. Turds, all of you!
But back in the day, some bands that were not alt-country at all, made fucked-up pop songs that were folk/country-tinged, and that’s closer to what we have here. These songs are dark, moody, and missing that ham-fisted instrumentation that doesn’t belong in underground rock that’s worth its salt. “Thylacine” has a catchy groove, get noisy when the time is right, and the vocals don’t set off my slummer alarm, which is always set on high-sensitivity when a place like Memphis hometown. The Union Electric comes from St. Louis, a city that has exported a tiny amount of notable music given its size. As to whether this contains former members of Bunnygrunt, I highly doubt it. What I’m positive of is that both these songs have that intangible, ineffable, and oh-so-welcome ‘IT’ that is rare for a reason. In closing, I thought I’d never want to hear a trumpet in a rock song again, but these magicians pull it off. On yellow vinyl. (http://www.myspace.com/theunionelectric)
(Andrew Earles)
