The Women is the greatest thing to come out of Milwaukee since Pabst beer. A two piece band consisting of Graeme McDonald on guitar and vocals backed by JB Burke on drums - self described as “Garage Metal”. The layman, being me, would call them the most honest interpretation of “Grunge” that I’ve ever heard with my own two ears. The Women are as beautiful as they are confusing. A heavy, symphonic picture of distortion lurks in the Shadows for anyone who partakes in their most recent release. “Warehouse Blues” begins the EP, when I hear this track I hear two things, a freight train and My Bloody Valentine. This track skates nowhere near the line of shoegaze, however, there are layered elements throughout reminiscent of MBV such as Graeme’s use of what I suspect is a Whammy pedal. Extremely interesting, unique choices were made in this song that pair with Graeme’s warbly vocals like liver and a nice Chianti. Track two, “Japanese” begins with Graeme’s guitar riff walking toward you, then, when JB’s drum part kicks in, you feel this track in your stomach. “Japanese” is a nod to who The Women once were, more reminiscent of their earlier releases in my mind. JB’s drum work is what stands out to me here and exemplifies what I think he does best in this band - Jon Bonham-esque fills accenting and accentuating the bull in a china shop guitar work while pushing and driving the sludge right through your speakers with every kick of his drum. JB very much feels like the groundwork on which The Women was built, like none of this would make any sense if he wasn’t there - brooding, carefully raging behind his kit. This leads into track number three, “Cups” which I believe if you close your eyes and smoke the right amount of weed you will believe you’re listening to something off Houdini by The Melvins. “Cups” could’ve easily been the title track for this EP to me - it is pure expression by way of guitar tone and attitude, this song doesn’t give a fuck. It feels as though “Cups” is one of those tracks that has a life of its own, it might come out a little different each time but it will always carry the same daunting, palatable character - a mean bastard. Which leads us to track four, “Go Home” which is my favorite off of this release and quite possibly my favorite Women song. “Go Home” is the gold standard Women song for my money and I believe exemplifies what Graeme does best in this band. Graeme shows here he is the master of taking an incredible guitar riff into deep, dark, murky waters then fishing it back out. In moments throughout the track you can smell the Seattle air until he punches you in the nose with his guitar again. “Go Home” gives a complete picture into the sort of front man Graeme was, I can hear him stomping through the stage on this one. His vocal dynamics here are completely unique to him and showcase exactly what I think he was going for when he wrote this music. And, finally, heart wrenchingly, “I Pay the Spiders Well”. I write this overview out of pure, unwavering respect for two great musicians first and two great human beings foremost - one of which is no longer with us. Graeme McDonald tragically passed away approximately one month after the release of Shadow. Today is approximately three and a half months after that and I shiver as I listen to “I Pay the Spiders Well”. I unfortunately don’t believe I heard Graeme play acoustic guitar around me in any meaningful capacity, maybe the occasional strum around or the beginning of sweet child o’ mine, but that’s about it. And, wow. This track not only captures the emotional depth that Graeme injected into his music but the sheer talent of JB's recording expertise. It’s an airy, cinematic song that brings me to my knees, especially in light of recent events.
My apologies for the long winded dribble on this one - I wanted to explore Shadow track by track in more of an overview than a review as this EP is one of my most treasured pieces of music in my collection. As this is written, 12” copies of Shadow as well as cassettes of their releases, Glitter and The Laughing Demos are available for purchase on their bandcamp. Run, don’t walk and listen to Shadow by The Women. Rest in peace Graeme, you are loved and you are missed.
“If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it.”
Link to the EP on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4jRp4yXTfppTU0vjRvgJJa