Wish Defense is more than a morbid piece of trivia.
The latest LP from Chicago art-rockers, FACS,1 was the last album that the late, great and complicated Steve Albini engineered before his abrupt death in May 2024 at the age of 61. 2 Albini spent two days in early May working on the album with the veteran three-piece band, and Sanford Parker, a Chicago-based musician and producer,3 consulted Albini’s notes while finishing recording the album with the trio.4
Curious listeners who check out Wish Defense because of its unasked-for and unexpected distinction will find a lot to like in the album. FACS — Noah Leger (drums), Jonathan van Herik (bass) and Brian Case (guitar / vocals) — pack a lot of winsome moody weirdness into the album’s seven songs that make for worthwhile and interesting listen.5
That’s a description that can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but in the case of this specific album, it means creeping post-punk complete with oddball guitar tones, throbbing bass and occasional percussive clangs that sound like a truckload of aluminum pipes falling out of the bed of a distant pickup truck.It’s slightly heavier and a smidge more abrasive than what Protomartyr has been doing on the other side of Lake Michigan, but that’s a reasonable point of comparison.6 Wish Defense has elements of noise rock, shoegaze and drone in its sound, but it’s about as approachable and immediate as that sort of music gets.
Lyrically, Wish Defense is fixated on distance, duplicity and inversion, motifs that extend to the album’s checkerboard album art.7 Generally, the words are poetic and slightly obtuse, but the theme is consistent. The album’s title track, which includes the lyrics “Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance.”8 It’s heady, heavy stuff, and is a great match for the album’s sound.
Spare arrangements are a major strength for Wish Defense and help make the album something that folks who spend more time on the power-pop side of the rock spectrum can still enjoy. “Ordinary Voices,” the album’s second song, starts with swooning notes that sound like surf guitar on a heavy does of ketamine. Gradually, this sound shortens and sharpens as a simple bassline and primordial drums enter the fray. These are not bright, glossy sounds, but they’re given over a minute and a half to comingle and establish themselves as parts of a collective. By the time a tempo change and vocals shift the song into a new gear, a groove has been established.
That’s not a one-off. Wish Defense is an album loaded with interesting textures, and giving them room to breathe keeps the album from getting chaotic and allows listeners to savor what they’re hearing. “Sometimes Only” is maybe the best example of this.9 That track is formed around a deep, electric crunch, but it also features harp-like ripples. At first the lower surge is the song’s main constant with the higher strings appearing like punctuation at the end of a sentence or filling space between when the tide goes out and comes in. They’re sounds that at first clash. But as they share space space, it becomes clear that one is the song’s dark heartbeat and the other its lifeblood, and they’re transformed into complements.
That’s a good enough encapsulation of the album as a whole, too. It’s not easy listening, but it’s almost always interesting listening that rewards patience with unlikely payoffs.
About the writer
Ben Hohenstatt
Ben Hohenstatt is an Alaska-based dog owner who moonlights as a music writer and photographer.
For more information, consult your local library or with parental permission visit his website.
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The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
The Sounding Board
A weekly column where New Music Tuesdays live on. Conversation is encouraged in the comments.
Department of
Conversation
What Did We Watch?
Duel – Turns out I watched the European theatrical release, and I think the original TV cut would improve my opinion quite a bit. Namely, everything involving the terrifying truck is aces, anything where Dennis Weaver talks to himself or other people is pretty uninteresting. My understanding is that cut is almost all truck goodness, closer to Fury Road, though a Fury Road shot in an astounding 13 days. Not entirely sure how that was possible. Its greatest accomplishment is turning the truck into a character on par with any of the humans. I think this Spielberg kid might have a future ahead of him.
Heart Eyes – I’ve been meeting up with a group of friends for Monday night cinema trips since the start of the year, but our local indie cinema only had one new release this week and it’s the latest Bridget Jones film so we went rogue and hit up the multiplex for this rom-com / slasher mash-up. Christopher Landon has a co-writing credit and it fits his witty high-concept style fine, although it’s not as genuinely smart as Happy Death Day it still delivers some good laughs and decent gore. Probably not something that will stick in my head for too long but it was good fun in the moment.
Heh, this is the movie trailer they showed before One of Them Days, NOT the audience for the gore here.
Ha, interesting choice! I liked that Heart Eyes does really commit to the rom-com elements, it’s not just a slasher with valentine trimmings, it has a good go at being both. But I guess a fondness for gore is definitely required!
Dial M for Murder — I’ve seen this many times but none too recently. Based on a play, almost all of the action is in one room, and there’s nothing like the thrilling sequence from Rear Window where Grace Kelly sneaks into Thorwald’s apartment. But I always liked the languid pace here, especially Ray Milland’s nearly effortless charm. Milland very occasionally lets the audience see him paddling, just enough to let you know how much of it he’s really doing.
The only “locked room” Hitchcock I’ve encountered so far is NUMBER 17, which, despite it being built around a number of action based set pieces, feels dramatically inert due to it basically being a play opened up for the big screen. Frederick Knott, as a source, seemed more in Hitch’s wheelhouse in terms of dramatic structure and the ennui of the upper middle class. I would really like to see Dial M for Murder in 3D to see how the depth of focus was designed to work out.
The White Lotus, S1E1 – Aw look at these rich jerks going on vacation in Hawaii! Please pay no attention to the TV cast on vacation in Hawaii.* This is what people talk about when “prestige TV” gets used as a diss, especially the length of each episode and the pathological need to stay current (the 2021 Clinton talk already feels dated in 2025). Good actors but every show has good acting, that’s just not enough anymore. Tell a damn story without long pauses and stupid digressive bullshit. (I did find Jake Lacy’s rich guy funny, especially his inability to let the room go.)
*Not that acting and TV crewing isn’t work, but…come on.
Legal Eagle’s video on the recent wave of resignations in the Justice Department because Trump really, really wants the Eric Adams charges dropped even though he’s blatantly, obviously guilty. One of those situations where some Federalist conservatives are acting heroically just by refusing to break their oaths as government officials and attorneys.
Hahaha, The White Lotus as the prestige version of the Grown-Ups movies is sending me. Maybe I can get a sketch out of that…
Hey, at least Sandler’s not judging anyone else, just having fun with his friends! I can at least tolerate that lol.
Haha, well, the comparison I made was more to be unflattering to The White Lotus, and (without having seen it, but I’m not going to let that stop me) it suggests that the difference between a Prestige TV Show and a Lowbrow Comedy is “more expensive destinations and cinematography, and also none of the characters are having fun.”
My big film project this year is a chronological re-watch of Hitchcock thrillers (that began with next months YoTM) and I’m up now to THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. I concur with the comment made hear a couple of weeks ago that it’s not quite up to where I remember THE 39 STEPS was, but it undoubtedly is the film where the director for the most part commits to his particular brand of suspense film for the remainder of his film, and the first of a series in which the anxieties of the middle and upper classes are intertwined with the more sundry doings of empire and its resistence. The Albert Hall set assassination sequence, which juxtaposes four points of view, each with a different knowledge about what is going on in the scene, is still a masterclass in storytelling and up to this point the best set piece Hitchcock directed.
That was me! I do remember loving 39 Steps, I’d love to fit in some rewatches too but I should probably concentrate on filling some of the gaps first.
It took me well over a decade and a half to finally watch THE 39 STEPS from a film source whose soundtrack wasn’t overwhelmed by hiss or breaking a splice every couple of minutes. Thank the film gods for restoring the British Hitchcocks from the 1930s. What distinguishes THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH from most of the later thrillers from the English period, if my memory serves, is that this (and SABOTAGE) is the one where, as in the earlier thrillers, the institutions of family (and the social class sytem which defines its boundaries between the public and private sphere) are disrupted and reconciled. As the films progress the romance of the pursuit subgenre is bound to the romantic coupling via the further.rom-com. I’m curious as to how this mash-up works as I pursue this further
I still don’t have my laptop back and my back is fucked up (although getting better) so I don’t want to lug myself upstairs just to write about TV. So this will be lacking in detail unless you want more. The list has gotten fairly long since I last wrote, though, so even typing on my phone and keeping it brief, there’s still a lot.
Matlock, “A Traitor in Thine Own House”
Really enjoyed this one as Matty owns her internal enemies. Sarah may just have some growing up to do, but Shae could be a real problem – and Matty’s solution reflects that.
Elsbeth, “Tiny Town”
Interesting gimmick where the only witness to a murder is on the other side of “The Iris,” an art installation running a two-way screen 24/7 between New York and a small town in Scotland.
Animal Control, “Buffalo and Beavers”
The prank war resuming is pretty fun. Victoria offering to help Emily deal with Rick’s return is the kind of predictable disaster that’s, well, predictable. Less predictable was Patel interim running the precinct for one day and immediately causing a wave of crises.
Going Dutch, “When You Wish Upon a Star”
Felt a little oddly anticlimactic, but upon reflection this may have been more because all of the other episodes have ended with some kind of significant action (like stealing a tank).
Down With Love
That was a lot of fun – Peyton Reed really pulls out the full stylistic toolbook to run a sly twist on the Day / Hudson movies he’s both spoofing and playing mostly straight here. I wish he got to do more stuff like this instead of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Connective Tissue for More Important Movies. And I wish I’d written more about this on Saturday rather than hauling through a half-ass writeup a few days later.
Grimsburg, “Haunted Housewife”
Season 2 premiere.
“If laughter is a crime, then no wonder Matt Rife is a free man.”
Good episode with a lot of funny bits – nice little step up from season 1. Harmony kicks Marvin out because he can’t handle basic adult responsibilities, and after some looking, Pentos ends up selling him a house that’s haunted by a 50s housewife who poisoned her husband and then accidentally herself. And it actually seems to work out well for him.
That leaves Stan as the new man of the house, and after a sketchy guy comes around casing the joint, Stan and Mr. Flesh set up a Home Alone situation, with horrifyingly effective results that complicate further from there.
Shoresy, “Reset the Tone”
Helping the boys find joy in hockey again, and helping the kids go for what they want.
In old watches:
The Shield with commentaries
Some good insight but also extremely funny stuff on these commentaries. I’m all the way through “Party Line” now. I’ll have to find something else to do with my time when the commentaries are all said and done.
Suburgatory, “Stiiiiiill Horny” – Series finale, so we’re through our rewatch. And it ends on an unsurprising scene. I wonder where those two crazy kids went from there.
Bob’s Burgers, “My Fuzzy Valentine” – tried to find a Valentine’s Day watch over the weekend, but man, Hugo sucks and Bob should have gotten him fired ages ago. I find there are a few places and times that Bob’s whole deal of accepting people leads to “let assholes and sociopaths walk all over you because you’re too Nice to stand up to them.”
Happy Endings, “The St. Valentine’s Day Maxssacre – Now that’s how you do Valentine’s Day.
NewsRadio, “Chock,” “Security Door,” “Beep, Beep” – No particular reason. “Beep, Beep” also has Jimmy trying to get Dave and Lisa back together, and “Security Door” has Bill being the worst client imaginable for Lisa.
Kojak, “The Goodluck Bomber” – Here’s how slipshod TV was: we clearly see that the bad guy of the episode is being called the Good Luck Bomber, two words. And somehow someone at Universal made this one word, and no one cared enough to fix it. Which is not to say the story or the acting was slipshod, but boy did they cut corners. Anyway, the titular character is leaving bombs around the city, and sending warning notes wishing the targets “good luck” in disarming them. The story has a couple of fun twists – the chief suspect seemingly puts his life at risk to help disarm the bombs – and we find our way to Queens and Staten Island for a change of scenery. Bonnie Bartlett guest stars.
Frasier, “The Botched Language of Cranes” – An inadvertent insult to Seattle’s weather turns into a mess of escalating faux pas for Frasier, culminating in a very poorly timed speech at a fundraising dinner. The high point, however, is not Frasier stepping in it, but Niles narrating Maris chasing after the chairman of a museum board at that dinner. A delightful combination of David Hyde-Pierce at his best and a rare instance of having Maris actually be at the same place as Niles and giving the running gag some new life.
Kids In The Hall, Season Two, Episode Twelve
– “I guess you’re busy doing… whatever it is people without a TV show do.”
– “That’s Doug’s mistress. I keep her photo on the fridge to help me lose weight.”
– “I gotta burn some motel receipts. I just wouldn’t feel right deducting them now.”
– “I was roasted.”
– “I have no idea what this is. For a while I thought it was a spice rack of some sort.”
– The costumes in the bladder support group were amazing. Especially Scott Thompson.
What Did We Listen To?
Been making my way through Captain Nath’s Top 40 for last year (haven’t been at my desk as much lately, so it’s slow going). So far have marked a number of albums to check out and looking forward to knowing something about music from a year after 2000 that isn’t my daughter’s preferred dance tracks. Although thanks to Rock Band she’s just as likely to put on Duran Duran or Bon Jovi as Charlie XCX.
Blank Check, Raiders of the Lost Ark – solid entry into the “find a guest with an interesting angle for a movie where there’s not much left to say” subgenre. Not familiar with the guy’s work but he was a solid guest and clearly a fan of the show, also the movie’s high bone content led to some good Ben.
1001 Albums project is on hold at the moment while I focus on trying to write my own album-you-must-hear-before-you-die, but I did find time for some new releases on Friday and I think it was the best New Music Day of the year so far:
Horsegirl, “Phonetics On & On” – really enjoyed this band’s first album, for this follow-up they’ve cleaned up the guitars and made a record full of jangly riffs that fit nicely into the space between post-punk and indie-pop. Wondered if this would be the album that got a write-up here today!
Richard Dawson, “End of the Middle” – always enjoy checking in on this guy’s wordy folk-rock and this hits his usual high standard, witty tales of modern life with a surprise pivot into emotionally raw synth ballad on the closing track.
I am Robot and Proud – I’m a long-time fan of this guy’s electronica, it’s so pretty and inventive and while I basically know what to expect from his albums before I hear them (acoustic guitars, drum machines and twinkly synths), the formula never grows old.
Frog, “1001 Variations on the Same Song” – never sure how to describe this band but they have a fun lo-fi weirdo vibe that I guess isn’t a million miles from early Modest Mouse, except I like the Frog version more.
similarly making my way through Ruck’s music so I made a playlist! “Death Valley High” by Beck and Orville Peck is such a groove.
Mclusky has a new album out for the first time in goddamn forever. And the new single has a very Mclusky name, “Way of the Exploding Dickhead.”
Also heard new singles this week from Destroyer, Sparks, and Blondshell. In “hip-hop the indie station plays,” I’ve enjoyed the songs from clipping. and DARKSIDE. And there’s the new single from Panda Bear & Cindy Lee (the latest project from Patrick Flegel of Women).
The radio played Mike Doughty’s “Busting Up a Starbucks” on Sunday, so I took the opportunity to introduce my wife to the magic of Soul Coughing. And then some other 90s alt-rock too. “Everything About You” is kind of an instant classic?
The Kill James Bond podcast did a sensational episode this week reviewing The Wicker Man. The best kind of review where everyone had a different area of expertise to kick off discussion of specific details (the folk music, the religious symbolism, agriculture, etc). It’s also great fun to hear reviewers disagreeing passionately about the overarching themes.
The Bells, Lou Reed
This is a weird one. This strikes me as Reed doing a comedy album – everything is done through this affected, sneering voice, and the music incorporates a very Eighties sound for something released in 1979 (some people are just ahead of the curve, I guess). It doesn’t completely work but it doesn’t completely not work either.
This definitely puts into perspective how much I love Reed’s songwriting though, and how clear his voice is.
Buffalo Springfield Again, Buffalo Springfield
Even more diverse and ragged than the first album, so very much my shit. It’s not quite as intense in its diversity as The Beatles and Queen can get, but it’s very much in that ballpark, including using rock as a basis for going in many directions.
My ears were busy this week!
In addition to this week’s subject I spent time with albums from Bartees Strange, Horsegirl,Winona Fighter. I also did a relisten of Porridge Radio ‘s three most recent albums ahead of their last EP coming out this week.
All of the above offered something to like, but the Porridge Radio stuff was my favorite. “Clouds in the Sky They Will Always Be There for Me” (2024) is my favorite by them, but all their 2020 and later releases are somewhere between really good and great.