If you're reading this from "across the pond" as it were, there's a reasonable chance that if indie/alternative type music is your thing then you'll already be familiar with Ohio band Wussy, and the same goes for any Brits (or non North Americans everywhere) whose passion for music has them seeking out imports from around the globe. 'Buckeye' is the first international release from these guys and comprises of highlights from releases so far (I guess you could put it in a similar bracket to The Hives' 'Your New Favourite Band' which compiled tracks by the Swedish band for a UK introductory album). But as a rule, this is their introduction to the wider world, and being able to pick and choose from a reasonable sized body of work, you'd expect it to be a decent listen.
The trouble with albums of this variety is not deciding what to include, it's deciding what to leave out. It can be heartbreaking discarding a song you love. Subsequently, 'Buckeye' is a somewhat daunting seventeen tracks long, with a general track length of between three and four minutes. So it could be a bit much, it could drag a bit, and there's a fair chance you'll get to know the first half a lot better than the second half, right? When groups release lengthy albums, it can often be a case of skipping through a few of the songs to find the best ones, with the band seemingly scratching around trying to find some more decent tunes to keep the consistency up. Well if those makers of patchy, overlong albums have been wondering what happened to all the tunes, we think we know: Wussy have got them.
While it would be a little excessive to go making any album of the year type claims, this is surely an album that will brighten up you collection, and one that, despite its duration, won't have you growing weary as you get beyond the dozen song mark. Neither is it an album of grand ambition or innovation; we've got melodic indie-rock. It's just guitars that jangle and drone a bit, your regular style rhythm section, occasional keys, harmonica and boy/girl vocals. Nothing new there, 'Buckeye' succeeds because of the quality of the songs. Selecting individual tracks is difficult as there isn't anything below par. At a push we'll give a special nod to 'Maglite', 'Asteroids', 'Bought It Again', 'Jonah'... and more. On behalf of other new converts we'd like to give Wussy a great big "welcome" from the rest of the world.
Wussy's website
Buy the album
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