While a plethora of music journalism in Nashville revolves around well documented and overly attended events that seem to occur repeatedly throughout the year to an almost detrimental extent, most of the mainstays emerged quickly from a period of either non existence or relative obscurity. Deep under the radar of Nashville’s utility musicians-turned-journalists and/or bloggers community lies an assortment of abrasive musical acts whose shows are attended by a crowd who, while sporadic in number, are most assuredly devoted to the challenging nature of these musicians.
Grandmother’s "Invade/Sublet" release, the first on experimental music label Destined For Increase, is a shining example of said abrasion. Functioning as a sort of earmark for any individual’s field of musical tolerance, this three piece conducts a sonic assault of whirrs, clicks, feedback, and guttural bursts via specifically manipulated electronics and carefully orchestrated chains of every effect imaginable. Anyone looking for standard structure to bop your head to will no doubt experience the losing side of a violent altercation in their ears. The subtlety of musical application throughout this release should, however, appeal greatly to those open to experimentation, progression, and new interpretations of theory. It’s quite rewarding to discern the extreme use of dynamic herein through the harsh and amoebic flow of "Invade/Sublet" while also picking out the use of these seemingly improvised noises as pseudo-sources of rhythm and melody. Repeated occurrences of particular relationships between the distorted vocals, over-active drum loops, and feedback inducing squelches make these tracks function better on the whole than individually. Traits such as these render the workings of Grandmother quite similar to traditional orchestral releases.
While the release can be a challenging listen to unwilling ears, a little imagination can lead to some severe moments of joy from an unexpected place. Grandmother’s live shows are also exemplary of this statement, and are somewhat like watching a group of men battle their instruments to an epic soundtrack while clamoring for victory over something they have themselves created. In short, a must-see and a must-listen. The "Invade/Sublet" cassette (which is limited to only 100 copies) is available to order now, and to get yourself a copy and more information on Grandmother and experimental label Destined For Increase, visit destinedforincrease.blogspot.com. – Jesse Baker