Large Print
It’s only July, but Milwaukee’s Large Print has put out a definite contender for local record of the year. End Scenery, a collection of seven songs recorded by Kevin Dixon at his Humdrum Studios, highlights what happens when indie rock is done well. Across the album, clean guitar lines played by James Brickner and Eric Risser playfully bounce off one another, while the rhythm section of Jay Joslyn (bass) and Andy Grygiel (drums) keeps things moving along by providing a catchy, jazzlike backbeat. And the melodic vocals of Grace Mitchell push these well-constructed songs into a space that can best be described as transcendent. Large Print, in other words, is a band to keep an eye on.
Despite the presence of such clear individual talent, what makes End Scenery work is that it sounds like a truly collective effort. This, as Brickner notes, was a conscious choice, as the writing process for the record “started with us being more collaborative. It would start with something basic, like a guitar riff or a hook, and then we’d bring it to practice and build instrumentally around it.” Such an egalitarian approach to songwriting allowed the group to better understand the nuances of each member’s contributions to the record. This pushed the band to turn down—which wasn’t an easy decision, as members of Large Print have played in loud bands throughout their careers—and explore the dynamics of the material in new ways. While maximum volume has its place, Brickner has come to realize that “there’s no reason to drown out everything and be super-loud all the time.”
The presence of a strong vocalist has also provided Large Print with the motivation to turn down. As Grygiel notes, “having the vocals be more in the forefront has not really been a priority in most bands we’ve been in. They’ve been secondary.” At the same time, Mitchell’s approach to lyric writing makes the listener want to understand what she is singing. Mitchell can be clever (as seen in the first line of “Chew”: “Jim beam me up”), but she is at her best when shifting from the abstract to the specific, often in the same song. This is evident on the standout track “Suzy,” which begins with a verse that can best be described as otherworldly: “Clash patterns / Ringed Saturn / Grey matter / For all to see.” Yet by the end of the song, Mitchell is noting that “Suzy’s smile’s gone somewhere / Beneath the paisley upholstered chair / I’ll draw your portraits with a dry marker / The ink leaves a mark so blue on Suzy.”
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Perhaps not surprisingly, Mitchell has a literate life outside of Large Print. “I’ve written poetry for a long time,” she says, “and I love to read poetry.” If she wants inspiration, she’ll read poet Bernadette Mayer, “or someone who drums up a lot of language.” Mitchell also admires the lyrics created by musicians like Kim Deal and bands like Pavement, who she notes are “heavy on the words.” She then draws from these influences as she works on “filling the spaces” of what her fellow band members create, “which is a really fun process.”
The process seems to be producing results. End Scenery was released by Heavy Meadow Records, a Minneapolis-based label, and the band’s July 18 show at Nausicaa MKE will commence a nine-day tour throughout the Midwest, Canada, New England and the mid-Atlantic states. This may be your last chance to catch Large Print before they graduate to larger venues. Don’t miss out.
For the location of Nausicaa MKE, check #OneMilwaukeeOneVision.
