SOFT SHOULDER - Not The New One LP

James Fella, as far as we can tell, is one of the DIY underground's truest believers. His band Soft Shoulder (which is often, but not always, just him playing every instrument) has stuck fairly close to its template of clattering no wave-ish songcraft for a decade now, evoking a hot purple streak of vintage Rhys Chatham and Mars despite the fact that his Arizona surroundings have precious little to do with Ye Olde Downtown 81. Strains of previous revivalists and outliers since that initial NYC blast - Galen, Trumans Water, Scarcity Of Tanks, Sic Alps, Hospitals - run through the signature Soft Shoulder sound (say that three times fast), too.

Sharp bursts which reference no wave, free improvisation, abstract electronics and riot grrrl from various configurations of the group: this time around with members of Oakland’s NO BABIES, Montreal’s FILTHY GRIN, GAY KISS from Phoenix, Berlin’s PAUL ARAMBULA (CHANDAILS, VEGETABLE).