Looking (and listening) from the outside, it might seem to a casual observer (listener) that working and reworking elements of certain rock (sub)genres is not such a hard thing to do. You pick up the elements, put them in a certain order (or re-order) and presto!
Well, neither so simple, and definitely not easy at all. Detailed knowledge, understanding (and of course a lot of love) are all involved, and a hefty dose of talent do be able to do it are all involved if it is to make any sense, and above all, sound anywhere close to good.
For St. Louis quartet Shady Bug, the love for the noisy guitars/quirky melodies combination that went so well down in the nineties and spearheaded by Sonic Youth, Unwound and, say, Swirlies is obviously there on the band’s second album I wanted to be there.
Luckily for Hannah Rainey, the leading light here and the rest of the band, and even more so for anyone who ventures into the album, they also got a detailed understanding of that sound (probably an extensive collection is to “blame”), but also a hefty dose of talent not only to recreate it, but give it their own spin on it.
The extensive gig experience that the band seems to have can be heard throughout the album, as it was pieced together from a live-tracked 10-day recording session, giving it that right there in front of you vibe that works so well with this kind of music, presenting the songs exactly in the manner the band intended them to sound.
