Theoretical Girls 1978-1981

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Putting a cap on as diverse a group as this is hard. In a nutshell the Theoretical Girls swung from straight motor rock punk to experimental swashes of noise. Yes, it is simple and not quite as great as many no-wave bands, but when Glen Branca and Wharton Tiers formed a band in the late seventies, what did you expect? This is not quite straight punk, neither is it no-wave though. There's a little proto-Sonic Youth in it, "Lovin in the Red," especially sounds like Made in the USA era Youth. The smashing is more hardcore than Contortions bends and DNA's frenzies. Some serious skronk comes in and the guitars encircle arenas of noise. That said there's a remarkable variety of tricks that make the songs go by, and compared to many albums from this period, the Theoretical Girls' involvements with many of the seventies and eighties punk, experimental bands comes through. They might not play a single clean sound, but they span the gamut of eighties deformed noise. Mom and Dad is the catchiest tune here, with a little cute keyboard riff among some serious greaser rock. "US Millie," continues this toning down with a kitschy electro sound and organs with the usual eighties robotic vocals. "No More Sex," gets back to overtop the motor rock. "Keyboard Etude," sounds like Maurice Kagel's organ work or maybe Quintron on a freakout. "NATO," returns to SYR sounds. "Chicita Bonita," has a little post-rock getting happy sound ala Savage Republic. Good stuff and worth a look, but not a document that will re-write any histories of the New York seventies and eighties progressive scene.