| Attica! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 5, 2014 | |||
| Studio | Ultrasuede Studios (Cincinnati, Ohio) | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, pop rock | |||
| Label | Damnably, Shake It | |||
| Wussy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Attica! is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Wussy. It was released on May 5, 2014 on Damnably in the United Kingdom, making it their first studio album to be released there, and the following day on Shake It Records in the United States. [1]
The 11 songs on Attica! were recorded at Ultrasuede Studios in Cincinnati, which is owned by former Afghan Whigs bassist John Curley. The album also saw the return of a member of one of Wussy frontman Chuck Cleaver's former bands; Ass Ponys guitarist John Erhardt performed on Attica! as Wussy's fifth member. [1]
Attica!'s opening track, "Teenage Wasteland", describes singer Lisa Walker's memories of listening to the Who, especially the song "Baba O'Riley", and includes shoutouts to several of its members. The song also contains a guitar part that closely resembles that on "Baba O'Riley". [2] The album's title track also references Dog Day Afternoon , portraying it as a tale of romantic desperation. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Cuepoint (Expert Witness) | A+ [5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10 [6] |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [7] |
| The Skinny | [8] |
| Spin | 8/10 [3] |
Attica! received generally favorable reviews from critics, with Pitchfork 's Joel Oliphint writing that "At Wussy’s best—and Attica! is pretty close to that—they’re capable of doing for us what Pete and Roger and Keith and John [referring to the members of the Who] did for them." [6] Robert Christgau wrote in Cincinnati magazine, "In America—and Wussy are very American—only Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend show as much will and ability to make every album both different and superb." He also said that "[Wussy's other lead singer, Lisa Walker's] ability to project empathy and dispassion simultaneously is an ongoing wonder." [9] Another favorable review came from Charles Taylor, who wrote in the Los Angeles Review of Books that its music "...owes a debt to country-infused rock, to punk, to the sonic space and breadth Neil Young creates in his work with Crazy Horse, and, increasingly, to what might be called the erotics of noise — fuzztones, distortion, feedback." [10]
In June 2014, Attica! was placed at number 25 on Newsday 's list of the "best albums of 2014 so far", [11] as well as at number 48 on a similar list by Spin . [12] Robert Christgau named it the best album of the year in his list for The Barnes & Noble Review . [13]
Who's Next is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 2 August 1971. It developed from the aborted Lifehouse project, a multi-media rock opera conceived by the group's guitarist Pete Townshend as a follow-up to the band's 1969 album Tommy. The project was cancelled owing to its complexity and to conflicts with Kit Lambert, the band's manager, but the group salvaged some of the songs, without the connecting story elements, to release as their next album. Eight of the nine songs on Who's Next were from Lifehouse, the lone exception being the John Entwistle-penned "My Wife". Ultimately, the remaining Lifehouse tracks would all be released on other albums throughout the next decade.
Robert Thomas Christgau is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became an early proponent of musical movements such as hip hop, riot grrrl, and the import of African popular music in the West. Christgau spent 37 years as the chief music critic and senior editor for The Village Voice, during which time he created and oversaw the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll. He has also covered popular music for Esquire, Creem, Newsday, Playboy, Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR, Blender, and MSN Music, and was a visiting arts teacher at New York University. CNN senior writer Jamie Allen has called Christgau "the E. F. Hutton of the music world – when he talks, people listen."
"Baba O'Riley" is a song by the English rock band the Who, and the opening track to their fifth album Who's Next (1971). It was issued in Europe as a single in October 1971, coupled with "My Wife".
Ass Ponys was an indie rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their sound combines rock and country into an off-kilter blend of Americana music. They have gone on national tours with bands such as Pavement, Throwing Muses, and Possum Dixon. Among other periodicals, they have been featured in Rolling Stone, CMJ, and The Cincinnati Post.
Wussy is an American four-piece indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2001. The band consists of Chuck Cleaver (vocals/guitar), Lisa Walker (vocals/guitar), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark Messerly (bass). Former members include Dawn Burman (drums) and John Erhardt. Cleaver and Walker write most of the songs and either alternate lead vocals or sing them in harmony. Live performances feature the two vocalists having a "combative rapport". They have released seven albums, one live album, two EPs, one mini LP and a number of singles. The group has received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Robert Christgau, Chicago, and SPIN.
Wussy, the third full-length album by the band of the same name, was released in May 2009. The label, Shake It Records, released the album in CD format only.
Funeral Dress, the debut album by Wussy, was released on December 6, 2005. The label, Shake It Records, released the album on CD format only.
Left for Dead is the second album by Wussy, released in 2007. It was recorded by all the band's members playing together, rather than in separate tracks, resulting in what NPR described as "a meaty collection of songs with the feel of a garage band always on the verge of spinning out of control." It was chosen as the 14th greatest album of the decade by prominent critic Robert Christgau.
Marc Hogan is an American journalist. He currently works as a senior staff writer at Pitchfork.
Strawberry, the fourth studio album by Wussy, was released in November 2011. The label, Shake It Records, released the album on CD format in limited cities in 2011 with a national release in February 2012 and a vinyl edition planned for Record Store Day 2012.
Charles James Cleaver is an American songwriter, singer and guitarist, best known as a member of the Cincinnati-based bands Ass Ponys and Wussy.
Some Stupid With a Flare Gun is the fifth studio album by Cincinnati-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was released on April 11, 2000, on the Chicago-based indie label Checkered Past Records, and was produced by Brad Jones. The album's title is taken from a line in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the Water." The album won "CD of the Year" in 2001 at the Cammy Awards.
Man Plans God Laughs is the thirteenth studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. The album was released on Spotify on July 16, 2015.
Forever Sounds is Wussy's sixth studio album. It was released on March 4, 2016, on Shake It Records in the United States and Damnably in the UK and Europe. The album reached number 20 on the Top Heatseekers album chart.
Lohio is the sixth and final studio album by Ohio-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was released on June 12, 2001, on Checkered Past Records. It was produced by Brad Jones, who also produced their previous album, Some Stupid with a Flare Gun. Ass Ponys frontman Chuck Cleaver thought that the album was the Ass Ponys' best, which was one reason the band disbanded soon after it was released.
The Known Universe is the fourth studio album by Cincinnati-based indie rock band Ass Ponys, released in April 1996 on A&M Records. It was the band's second album for A&M, and was produced by the Afghan Whigs' John Curley.
Electric Rock Music is the third album, and major-label debut, by Cincinnati-based rock band Ass Ponys. It was released in 1994 on A&M Records. It was produced by John Curley of the Afghan Whigs, at whose Ultrasuede Studio the album was recorded. The band was planning to self-release the album after they recorded it, but then they landed an unexpected deal with A&M when Jeff Suhy, one of the label's representatives, called the band's frontman, Chuck Cleaver on the phone. Suhy told Cleaver that he had pitched a recording of the album to A&M executives, and that they had approved it for release.
Grim is the second studio album by Cincinnati, Ohio-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was originally released in 1992 on OKra Records, and was re-released by Safe House Records in 1993.
Mr. Superlove is the debut studio album by Cincinnati, Ohio-based indie rock band Ass Ponys. It was originally released in 1990 on OKra Records, and was subsequently reissued by Anyway Records with several bonus tracks. It was produced by the Afghan Whigs' bassist John Curley, and was recorded in his house. Upon its initial release, the album became a commercial flop due to distribution problems. In 2006, select remastered songs from the album and its follow-up, Grim, along with various new outtakes, covers, and live versions, were released by Shake It Records on the album The Okra Years.
What Heaven Is Like is the seventh studio album by Cincinnati, Ohio-based indie rock band Wussy. It was released on May 18, 2018, on Shake It! in the United States and on Damnably in the United Kingdom and European Union.
