Women — Women

Chad VanGaalen recorded this album, which is also being released on his record label, but you would really never know it. The experimental noise rock on Women's self-titled debut album is a far cry from the indie rock found on VanGaalen's two albums. Opener "Cameras" soon segues into the Animal Collective-esque stomp-along of "Lawncare." Then there's "Black Rice," which could have come off The Velvet Underground And Nico. Its ethereal male vocals sound like Nico got a sex change and The Velvets fast-forwarded 40 years to transplant themselves in Calgary instead of New York. By the time you hit closer "Flashlights," which sounds like Deerhoof and other noise rockers run over by some of the stuff on White Light/White Heat you aren't quite sure what to make of it. But somehow you know what you've heard is an album which manages to be obvious about its influences, yet not sound derivative at the same time. This is probably some of the strangest, weirdest stuff to ever come out of Calgary.

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