Little Girls revive the lo-fi concept
Josh McIntyre basks in debut's unexpected acclaim
By Simon Frank, Associate Editor
Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: Film & Music
There's definitely something strange in the air. Across the world shady operators with enigmatic pseudonyms like Blank Dogs, Wavves, Graffiti Island, Wet Hair, and Gary War, are grabbing guitars, cheap keyboards, and spools of dirty tape and retreating to their bedrooms. Crafting fuzzed out weird pop songs that alternately sound like entire Joy Division songs shoved through effects pedals, the rehearsal tapes of long forgotten Goth groups, or rockabilly played 10,000 leagues under the sea, the movement has been tagged as a revival of the lo-fi (low fidelity) aesthetic of 1990's bands like Pavement. And, with the release of Concepts by Toronto one-man-band Little Girls, the new wave of lo-fi has arrived in Canada.
A member of fuzzy punk duo Pirate/Rock, in late 2008 Josh McIntyre casually recorded some solo songs and posted them onto the internet under the name Little Girls. To his surprise, within weeks his tunes were swirling around the ether and picking up rave reviews on taste-making blogs. A few months later, he released his debut album on Paper Bag Records, one of Canada's biggest independent record labels. It's a dream that most young musicians aspire to, and McIntyre's quick rise has lead to some jealousy. Little Girls have all the hip signifiers of the day - simple programmed drums, distorted yet melodic guitar, melodic post punk bass, and indecipherable vocals obliterated by layers of fuzz - but the question remains, does he deserve the hype?
The answer is not completely clear. Concepts is essentially pop music, covered in slabs of reverb and noise, in the finest tradition of the Jesus and Mary Chain. In songs like "Youth Tunes" and "Growing" the result is catchy, hummable songs. But without discernable lyrics or many structural changes, there's not much to the songs beyond bouncy riffs and repetition. Luckily, McIntyre switches the course of the album often enough to keep the listener engaged. The insistent drum programming of "Seeing" recalls acid house more than rock, while the "Imaginary Friends" and "Salt Swimmers" draw upon a harsher palette of guitar tones. The brief instrumental "Departure" offers some respite from the intensity of the rest of the album, and reveals intriguing experimental tendencies. The basic sound is undeniably catchy, and reaches its apex with title track "Concepts," which aided by a simple keyboard line and atmosphere-building vocals, repeats and builds into a hypnotic anthem. The constantly blown out production and heavy reverb give the music the feel of a song heard down a hallway - barely there, yet addictively hummable, and steeped in mystery and melancholy. For those familiar with Little Girls' contemporaries the elements at use here will not be anything new, but McIntyre's songwriting and personal touch are at least equal to his peers.
Concepts' greatest asset may be its urban sense of place. Most Canadian indie rock delivers hushed, slow builds and folk inflection, completely lacking the urban excitement that informs most pop music. Little Girls' throbbing rhythms on the other hand are inseparable from the city. These fast-paced, noise-filled songs evoke images of busy streets, walking out of shows into the night with ringing ears, and melodies hummed over a long subway ride. Perhaps Toronto doesn't have the same musical mystique as New York or London, but not for Little Girls' lack of effort. McIntrye's claustrophobic pop may not yet warrant all the accolades being showered upon it, but Concepts is a fine collection of songs, one which undeniably makes the musician stand out among other Canadian performers in the genre.
A member of fuzzy punk duo Pirate/Rock, in late 2008 Josh McIntyre casually recorded some solo songs and posted them onto the internet under the name Little Girls. To his surprise, within weeks his tunes were swirling around the ether and picking up rave reviews on taste-making blogs. A few months later, he released his debut album on Paper Bag Records, one of Canada's biggest independent record labels. It's a dream that most young musicians aspire to, and McIntyre's quick rise has lead to some jealousy. Little Girls have all the hip signifiers of the day - simple programmed drums, distorted yet melodic guitar, melodic post punk bass, and indecipherable vocals obliterated by layers of fuzz - but the question remains, does he deserve the hype?
The answer is not completely clear. Concepts is essentially pop music, covered in slabs of reverb and noise, in the finest tradition of the Jesus and Mary Chain. In songs like "Youth Tunes" and "Growing" the result is catchy, hummable songs. But without discernable lyrics or many structural changes, there's not much to the songs beyond bouncy riffs and repetition. Luckily, McIntyre switches the course of the album often enough to keep the listener engaged. The insistent drum programming of "Seeing" recalls acid house more than rock, while the "Imaginary Friends" and "Salt Swimmers" draw upon a harsher palette of guitar tones. The brief instrumental "Departure" offers some respite from the intensity of the rest of the album, and reveals intriguing experimental tendencies. The basic sound is undeniably catchy, and reaches its apex with title track "Concepts," which aided by a simple keyboard line and atmosphere-building vocals, repeats and builds into a hypnotic anthem. The constantly blown out production and heavy reverb give the music the feel of a song heard down a hallway - barely there, yet addictively hummable, and steeped in mystery and melancholy. For those familiar with Little Girls' contemporaries the elements at use here will not be anything new, but McIntyre's songwriting and personal touch are at least equal to his peers.
Concepts' greatest asset may be its urban sense of place. Most Canadian indie rock delivers hushed, slow builds and folk inflection, completely lacking the urban excitement that informs most pop music. Little Girls' throbbing rhythms on the other hand are inseparable from the city. These fast-paced, noise-filled songs evoke images of busy streets, walking out of shows into the night with ringing ears, and melodies hummed over a long subway ride. Perhaps Toronto doesn't have the same musical mystique as New York or London, but not for Little Girls' lack of effort. McIntrye's claustrophobic pop may not yet warrant all the accolades being showered upon it, but Concepts is a fine collection of songs, one which undeniably makes the musician stand out among other Canadian performers in the genre.
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