The Grifters - Biography
Making lo-fi music in a hi-fi age is always going to be a statement, harking back to an era of rock and roll when Pro Tools didn’t exist and analog wasn’t just a stance or even an aesthetic choice. In the late 80s, Grifters formed in Memphis, Tennessee (originally as Band Called Bud), and by the mid 90s found themselves smack in the middle of the lo-fi scene. Contemporaries of Pavement and Guided by Voices, Grifters also had a shambolic punkiness and a gritty blues spin on their sound that resulted in a unique, abrasive and infectious brand of American indie rock. They released two 7” EPs on Doink Records, Disfigurehead (1990) and The Kingdom of Jones (1991). In their decade-plus career, they would go on to release five full-length LPs, about a dozen singles and three more EPs, as well as appearing on a slew of compilation records from the late 80s to the mid-2000s.
The tense, fuzzy, rough-demo quality of the first LP, So Happy Together (1992 Sonic Noise) could have made for a difficult listen if it weren’t so blisteringly energetic. The follow-up, One Sock Missing (1993 Shangri La) is slightly more polished and restrained — but it’s all relative. Still present is the same intentionally rough, haphazard quality of the first record, but the high standard of the songs speaks for itself. Aggressive distortion, punchy, melodic bass lines and Scott Taylor’s whiney grunge vocals work an alchemical magic along with the inherent scrappiness of the sound. “Bummer” opens up with a Kinks style guitar riff over what could only be described as a buzz saw, and the screaming feedback of “She Blows Blasts of Static” compliments the razor-sharp riffage and distorted vocal of “Teenage Jesus.” The next LP, the acclaimed Crappin’ You Negative (1994 Shangri La) followed, with its wonky guitar effects, psychedelic flourishes, overlapping, spliced vocals and high-octane, modern blues (a lå Jon Spencer). Something akin to grunge is also alive and well here -- perhaps its weirder, darker cousin. “Maps of the Sun” boasts some truly raunchy grooves, and “Skin Man Palace” nods to a Captain Beefheart surrealism. The album is a high point, for sure, but not the last one.
The band moved into a different musical phase in the mid 90s that corresponded to their hook-up with Sub Pop. Ain’t My Lookout (1996 Sub Pop), ragged and rusty as it is, contains genuine pop gems, complete with some acoustic prettiness and even a few pleasing vocal harmonies. With their signature bluster intact, the songs are both weirder and more commercial here, which is kind of an ideal combination. The opener, “Covered With Flies“ begins with a shuffly, bluesy cool, and “Mysterious Friends” is an odd pop ditty, but still in keeping with the band’s dirty feet sensibility. The almost-lush string arrangement in Fixed in the Sky leads to the big, bad throb of Radio City Suicide, and the album finishes on a wave of wah-wah freak-out. The next LP, Full Blown Possession (1997 Sub Pop) carries the torch, and Grifters are as seasoned as they ever have been. If it’s not ultra-typical of their work, it’s definitely a culmination of all their efforts and evolution as a band; some of these songs are bordering on classic. From the slow, psychotic groove of “Fireflies” to the blinding guitar and bass lines of “Centuries” (where the ghosts of both Television and The Heartbreakers are evoked), this album showcases the band’s technical ability and songwriting skills, and it features some positively smokin’ riffage. Also worth a listen is 1995’s Eureka EP. The pedal steel adds a poignant melodic twist, and the affecting vocal melody of grunge ballad, “Slow Day for the Cleaner” would give “Heart Shaped Box” a run for its money. Mudhoney and T-Rex are shadowy figures on the periphery, and the Replacements are not far away, either. But it’s still completely on its own, and pretty much every song sparkles on this record. The later work is a perfect indication of how Grifters were not only a band super-charged with rock and roll swagger and dripping with unpretentious, ‘tude, but they were also genuinely crafty songwriters and brilliant, rootsy musicians.