Workers Comp Workers Comp LP
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put on an Ever/Never release and incredulously sat through the first few songs, thinking something along the lines of “what the hell is this shit?,” only to come around by the end of the record, swearing it’s the best thing I’ve ever heard. You’d think I would have learned to trust them at this point, but as I put on this album, my first thought was “Jesus—is this a fucking country record!?” And, yeah, it kind of is, but also kind of not really. In any event, it’s maybe one of the best things I’ve ever heard. WORKERS COMP is a trio out of Baltimore/Detroit featuring folks from STAFFERS, DIVORCE HORSE, and DEADBEAT BEAT. They’ve been at it for a couple of years now, releasing a handful of cassettes/EPs of anything-goes singer/songwriter-driven indie rock (in the sense of independent rock’n’roll, rather than what tends to count as indie rock these days), and this release compiles thirteen of those earlier songs on LP. Tracks cover anything from ramshackle, LOU REED-esque balladeering, to punkish slacker rock, to sneering jangle pop, to folksy Americana (at times sounding not unlike the BAND). It’s all over the place! But sharp songwriting and a rough-and-ready approach to recording really ties everything together nicely. It reminds me a lot of what I’ve loved about stuff by DAN MELCHIOR, KNEELING IN PISS, or even labelmate RICHARD PAPIERCUTS. Quite a collection of songs that I absolutely can’t stop listening to!