Print Head, AKA Brandon Saucier, is a solo artist hailing from Medicine Hat, Alberta. I didn’t believe Medicine Hat was a real place but I looked it up and there it is on Google (or any other) Maps, east of Calgary. How does a place acquire such a name? Anyway… ‘Happy Happy & Hardcore Pop’ is a collection of Saucier’s two most recent albums basically squashed together and repackaged as one by Spanish label Discos Peroquebien.
This sprawling 25 track release is lo-fi throughout. It sounds like it was recorded on junk equipment full of dust and is great for it!
Given there are too many tracks here to go into a huge amount of detail we’ll offer up a quick dissection of the two sides.
The first side ‘Happy Happy’ takes in the disco not disco no-wave pop a la Devo (Repeat). There are elements of Jon Spencer-ish punkabilly (Can You Complain) and the retro pop of Sex Hands (All Is Over). The brilliant but brief instrumental ‘Instrumental’ also has a Shopping-esque quality. This is evident in its slinky guitar work and heavy groove.
Saucier exhibits a fine melodic ear with the topsy turvy cyclical hooks of ‘Crushin Memories’
Second side ‘Hardcore Pop’ has a harder punk edge. Tracks like ‘Went Out Last Night’ and ‘Liar’ are louder faster and more intense. Kind of like a super lo-fi No Age. There’s still no shortage of the crazy rhythms of the first side with ‘Dying The Way You Want’ and ‘Strawman Warpath’ pinging around like Duds. There’s a ridiculous early Beck sense of humour that runs throughout which culminates in the mad ‘Computer Screen’.
Print Head’s is the sort of music that always sounds better rough around the edges, full of peaking and tape hiss. It’s almost a no-wave punk Troutmask Replica.
While it’s not ‘released’ until 17th May you can listen to the entire release on Bandcamp (or here, below).
Devo, Buffet Lunch, Sex Hands, No Age, Duds, Captain Beefheart
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