Suffering Jukebox

This morning's episode features an interview with Simon Bonney from Crime And The City Solution. The Killer, released in 2023, is Crime And The City Solution's latest record and you can catch them live this Saturday 17th January at Season Three Space, alongside local no-wavers Guppy. Find out more about Crime And The City Solution (and purchase their music) here; https://crimeandthecitysolution.bandcamp.com/music

Nick's Pick of the Week is Pullman's III, which was released on Friday January 9th. You can hear it in all the usual places, or purchase it here; https://pullman.bandcamp.com/album/iii and my review can be read below.

Pullman: III (Western Vinyl)

Released January 9th 2025

Comprising a cast of characters who cut their teeth in the 90s/00s American post-rock underground, Pullman is an experimental supergroup unlike any other. Featuring Tim Barnes, Chris Brokaw, Ken Brown, Curtis Harvey and Douglas McCombs, the members of Pullman have a collective CV of bands that includes Codeine, Come, Eleventh Dream Day, Rex, Tortoise and more, III is (as the name implies) the group’s third record. Recorded over a span of eight years, from 2016-2023, III’s creation was borne out Barnes’ desire to work and record as much music as possible following his early onset Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

III’s six songs continue the expansive electro-acoustic stylings of its predecessors, 1998’s Turnstyles and Junkpiles and 2001’s Viewfinder. Most of the songs began as fragments that were started by Barnes and Bundy, who —for a period— were working together almost daily, before being shared amongst the other members, who would build and expand upon the pair’s initial musical foundations. 

One of the most striking aspects of III is how quiet it is. Apart from the initial distorted noise of Bray, the tone of the record is one of quiet reflection and subtle contemplation. Both Thirteen and October have extended, whisper-quiet intros and outros that —at times— give the impression that the album has stopped or ended. Whilst the concept of silence is not something many look for in recorded music, on III it adds additional space to the songs, providing them with room to breathe and allowing the listener time to gather their thoughts or drift off into a day dream.

There is a meditative sense to much of the music on III and perhaps this is intentional given the influence of Barnes’ diagnosis. For an album born out of negative circumstances it never feels heavy or oppressive —quite the opposite, really. This is an album suitable for both late nights and early mornings, a beautifully poignant yet playfully strange record that is both comforting and exciting in equal measure. 

Nick Stephan