''Attica!'' is the fifth studio album by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

Wussy Wussy is an American five-piece indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2001. The band consists of Chuck Cleaver (vocals/guitar), Lisa Walker (vocals/guitar), Joe Klug (drums) and Mark Messerly (bass). Former members include Dawn Burman (dr ...

. It was released on May 5, 2014 on

Damnably Damnably is a small independent record label and music publisher based in London, England, which also organises live events and tours for its roster of acts. History The label was founded in 2006 by George Gargan, of the band Former Utopia. He ...

in the United Kingdom, making it their first studio album to be released there, and the following day on

Shake It Records Shake It Records (often stylized Shake It! Records) is a record label and record store in the Northside, Cincinnati, Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is co-owned by brothers Jim and Darren Blase. As of 2010, their record store had alm ...

in the United States.

Background and recording

The 11 songs on ''Attica!'' were recorded at Ultrasuede Studios in Cincinnati, which is owned by former

Afghan Whigs The Afghan Whigs are an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. They were active from 1986 to 2001 and have since reformed as a band. The group – with core members Greg Dulli (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick McCollum (lead guitar), and John Cur ...

bassist

John Curley John Curley is a Professor, Distinguished Professional in Residence, and Co-Director of the Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State. He was head of Gannett News Service, during which time the news service won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Serv ...

. The album also saw the return of a member of one of Wussy frontman

Chuck Cleaver Charles James Cleaver is an American songwriter, singer and guitarist, best known as a member of the Cincinnati-based bands Ass Ponys (formed in 1988, went on hiatus in 2005) and Wussy (formed in 2001). Biography Cleaver grew up in Clarksville, ...

's former bands;

Ass Ponys Ass Ponys was an indie rock band based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Their sound combines rock and country into an off-kilter blend of Americana music. They have gone on national tours with bands such as Pavement, Throwing Muses, and Possum Dixon. Amon ...

guitarist John Erhardt performed on ''Attica!'' as Wussy's fifth member.

Influences

''Attica!s opening track, "Teenage Wasteland", describes singer Lisa Walker's memories of listening to

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

, especially the song "

Baba O'Riley "Baba O'Riley" is a song by the English rock band the Who, and the opening track to their fifth album ''Who's Next'' (1971). It was issued in Europe as a single on 23 October 1971, coupled with "My Wife". Roger Daltrey sings most of the song, ...

", and includes shoutouts to several of its members. The song also contains a guitar part that closely resembles that on "Baba O'Riley". The album's title track also references ''

Dog Day Afternoon ''Dog Day Afternoon'' is a 1975 American biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Martin Bregman and Martin Elfand. The film stars Al Pacino, John Cazale, James Broderick, and Charles Durning. The screenplay is wri ...

'', portraying it as a tale of romantic desperation.

Critical reception

''Attica!'' received generally favorable reviews from critics, with ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

''s Joel Oliphint writing that "At Wussy’s best—and Attica! is pretty close to that—they’re capable of doing for us what Pete and Roger and Keith and John [referring to the members of

] did for them." Robert Christgau wrote in ''Cincinnati (magazine), Cincinnati'' magazine, "In America—and Wussy are very American—only Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend show as much will and ability to make every album both different and superb." He also said that " ussy's other lead singer, Lisa Walker'sability to project empathy and dispassion simultaneously is an ongoing wonder." Another favorable review came from Charles Taylor, who wrote in the ''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

'' that its music "...owes a debt to country-infused rock, to punk, to the sonic space and breadth Neil Young creates in his work with Crazy Horse, and, increasingly, to what might be called the erotics of noise — fuzztones, distortion, feedback."

Accolades

In June 2014, ''Attica!'' was placed at number 25 on ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...

''s list of the "best albums of 2014 so far", as well as at number 48 on a similar list by ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

''. Robert Christgau named it the best album of the year in his list for ''

The Barnes & Noble Review Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 U. ...

''.

Track listing

# Teenage Wasteland (Lisa Walker; Wussy) # Rainbows and Butterflies (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy) # Bug (Lisa Walker, Chuck Cleaver; Wussy) # North Sea Girls (Wussy) # Acetylene (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy) # To the Lightning (Chuck Cleaver, Lisa Walker; Wussy) # Halloween (Lisa Walker; Wussy) # Gene, I Dream (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy) # Attica! (Lisa Walker; Wussy) # Home (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy) # Beautiful (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy)Shake It CD insert

References

{{Authority control Wussy albums 2014 albums Damnably albums Shake It Records albums