Originally accompanying Jagjaguwar’s tenth anniversary reissue of their 2010 final album ‘Public Strain’ but now getting a standalone release, this five-track EP gathers up rare material from art-rock outfit Women’s brief career between 2007 and 2010. Since the death of vocalist Chris Reimer in 2012 that effectively ended the band, members of Women have since gone on to form the bands Preoccupations and Cindy Lee.
On their debut self-titled album, Women embraced sonic brashness that deeper examination revealed to be tinted with sly pop melody. With the album “Public Strain” the band honed a sound truthful to that reverb drenched noise while allowing the pop sensibilities to surface into clearer focus. Patrick Flegel (vocals/guitar), Matt Flegel (bass/vocals), Chris Reimer (guitar/vocals), and Michael Wallace (drums) went into the studio with an abundance of ideas, working around conflicting schedules and graveyard shifts. With Chad VanGaalen again on production duties, the band laboriously crafted a timeless sounding recording over the dead of winter in Alberta, Canada. The result exploits their usage of harsh, grating dissonance in smaller and controlled doses, using noise as the foundation for richly structured, layered songwriting. Resting upon Matt Flegel’s plodding bass line, Patrick Flegel’s deadpan vocal delivery, and Chris Reimer on bowed guitars and cello, this moody, nocturnal ballad opens the album on a dark note
A collection of rarities releasing in celebration of Public Strain’s 10th anniversary, courtesy of Jagjaguwar Recordings.
The Fat Angel Sings 