I feel much in the same way about this new LISTENING WOMAN (brainchild of THE Katie McShane) release as I do about BIRTHING HIPS latest, NO, SORRY:

Are people hearing this shit?? Where is the fucking LOVE, critically and otherwise? Man, does Boston’s contemporary music coverage SUCK. This is one of the big reasons we exist… so it’s nothing new, but GUDDAMN!

GETTING MYSTIC is (again alongside NO, SORRY) easily one of the best records released by a Boston area band in all of the year we all want to forget, 2016. Full of musical and spoken asides (not to mention great, weird songs), amazing harmonies, and asking the big questions: “Where did my cell phone charger go?”; this album (actually probably tape) does damage across its 16 majorly varying tracks.

Maybe that’s the problem; there’s just too much here for the normal (unlike say, me) music writer or listener to unpack and consider. All I know is that it “floats my boat” as someone once said.

“Fast Song”; early DEVO are my thoughts on this one. Obviously I mean that foundation-ly only. Chorus laden guitar is introduced. Rhythm section and sax playing is stupid good. “Difficult, Silent Father” offers ridiculous funky guitar and rhythm section. A vision of Adrienne singing her operatic vocals at the top of the stairs as someone else falls down stairs strikes me.

“Legs and then arms and then legs again and then arms and then legs and then arms again”… something like that.

“Hyperlink” offers a hint of THE CARDIGANS gone off the rails, one of the several times here where the band makes it clear that complex pop is one of their strongest methodologies. And I’ll finish this parade of songs talk with later album track, “Selfie Police”, which could be described as a Beefheart slither along the riverside.

I absolutely want more. I want more LISTENING WOMAN to listen to! I want more people to LOVE this band. I want them to play atop the 1 Federal Street building downtown, facing the ocean. I will be there. We’ll have a good time. Out NOW on the going extinct, but legendary in their own time (honestly) OSR TAPES label!!!!!!!!!!!!!!