Pianos
158 Ludlow St.
Tuesday, January 8 (10:00), 15 (8:00), 29 (8:00), $8
212-505-3733
www.pianosnyc.com
www.writertheband.com
Like Jeff the Brotherhood, in which brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall use drums and guitar to take off on sonic adventures that can go just about anywhere, Writer, consisting of siblings James and Andy Ralph, also has a knack for the anything-goes attitude. The California-born-and-raised duo recently moved to Brooklyn and released their debut album, Brotherface (3 Syllables, October 2012), twenty-eight minutes of outrageous psychedelic garage rock that is beautifully loud and raucous. Drummer James and lead singer and guitarist Andy, who sport the same “Brothers Ralph” tattoo, reference sounds from throughout rock history as they sit down for a “Family Dinner” (“Banging on the door / The cops are here now / The neighbors complained / Someone give them cops some cake”), consider heading south in “Barefoot Art” (“I was thinking about Mexico / and the dirty green lake at Campo / The fish were biting my legs and the sun my face / I just don’t want to go home”), and dive into the sea for “Miss Mermaid” (“Have you seen her underwater / Lungs are filling / Will she save me / Or just watch as I go down”). They slow things down considerably on “North Park Fairies,” which features the disc’s most unusual harmonies. The album concludes with a call for everyone to join them: “Oh yeah / Oh yeah / Oh yeah,” they repeat throughout “Dry Hands,” adding, “If you change your mind / we’ll be hanging out all night / blowing kisses to the planes / sharing bottles of champagne.” Writer, who recently toured with Os Mutantes, will be hanging out this month at Pianos, where they will be playing a three-show Tuesday-night residency beginning January 8 at 10:00 with Census, Cruisin’ USA, and DJ David McDaniel and continuing January 15 at 8:00 with the Spookfish, Shilpa Ray, Man Made Sun, and Cannibal Animal Machine and January 29 at 8:00 with Travis Trevisan, Phantasm, Man Made Sun, and Beats in the Attic.