Good Times Crisis Band
Nine of Clubs (Australian Cattle God)Expanding on the aesthetic of its 2007 debut, Select a Gather Point, the Good Times Crisis Band finds its center squarely in the margins. “Enemy Eye” sets the local duo’s tone, coupling herky-jerk post-punk at ramming speed against references to an all-knowing surveillance state. An air of anxiety prevails on Nine of Clubs, replete with obscure references to alchemy and French lit. Even so, it doesn’t take a grad degree to divine what Bill Corsello (guitar, bass, vocals) and drummer David Hobizal are after. The twosome’s dynamic interplay imbues scattershot caffeine rambles with form and potency. Unadorned production and strategic nods to classic-rock convention bear witness to the influence of iconoclastic underground forebears like the Minutemen. GTCB’s rendition of “There’s a World” is the most breathtaking Neil Young cover to come out of Austin since Pork’s “Don’t Cry No Tears.” Nine of Clubs might not unify armies of lighter-wavers, but it packs a rarefied, homespun energy that elicits the genuine thrill of a thrift store score.
This article appears in October 21 • 2011.
