WOMEN, MANCHILD
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Two years after their stellar self-titled debut, Canadian indie genre-smashers Women have given us Public Strain, apparently after misplacing their memo about the sophomore slump. Everything Women had, Public Strain delivers better—the hooks dig in deeper, the fuzz is dolloped on thicker, and the brilliantly ramshackle dual-guitar interplay gives Deerhoof a run for their money. The album's unpolished but shimmering psychedelia burrows a lo-fi trip into the heart of winter bummers—the whole thing was recorded during a particularly brutal Canadian winter—emerging victorious with an enchanting listen that, by the end of the surprisingly sunny closing track "Eyesore," leaves you not entirely sure what just happened, but ready to flip the record and try again. ETHAN JAYNE
Complete show listings can be viewed here.