Dragging the Needlework for The Kids at Uphole

Anyone making psychedelic rock albums in 2023 who wants to stand out from the seemingly endless pack of artists on the same path needs to do something a little extra. To that end, Index for Working Musik add a healthy dollop of menace to their sound and smear the background of many of their songs with degraded swaths of electronic noise sourced from band-made field recordings. Add these sonic upgrades to a batch of compelling songs and its more than enough to vault their debut album, Dragging the Needlework for the Kids at Uphole, out of the neo-psych doldrums and into more rarefied air. The records title also gives a clue to another facet that sets the band outside the mainstream. Their lyrics are often derived from automatic writing and veer towards darkness, especially when they bury the vocals in the murky, moody mix. The group is guided by Max Oscarnold, who was half of the Proper Ornaments, and Nathalia Bruno, who records electronic music under the name DRIFT. Index definitely lean more toward the formers ex-band as they exhibit a similar low-key, gently loping style thats buttressed by jangling, chiming guitars throughout most of the album. Take away some of the scuzz and sawing cellos, and tracks like the uptempo "Ambiguous Fauna" or the meditative "Railroad Bulls" would have fit nicely on any of their albums. Other tracks have a more energetic approach where Oscarnolds vocals creep out of the mist (a little) and the drums push things forward decisively. "1871" is the best example of this; its the closest thing here to a pop song. On the flip side, the band also delve more deeply into experimental sounds as on "Wagner," where sheets of noise slice through the arrangements, or the drum machine-led, desert sun-parched "Palangana," which has more mystery in its three-plus minutes than most groups who claim to be psychedelic can manage over an entire album. Oscarnold made fine records in his previous band, so it made sense that hed discover something interesting with Index for Working Musik. Teaming with Bruno proved to be a wise decision, and the results of their pairing are an album that exceeds expectations and stands among the finest psychedelic records of the era. ~ Tim Sendra