slumberland records
reviews of: Because Because Because
PopMatters
Combining the fuzzy stomp of Nuggets-era garage rock with the scrappy sweetness of such '80s underground pop mavens as Beat Happening and the Pastels, Cause Co-Motion! has definitely established itself as one of the most unique bands coming from the post-hype Brooklyn music scene of the mid-to-late '00s. Following Slumberland's release of It's Time!, a critically hailed compilation of early singles and EPs from the band's days on the What's Your Rupture? imprint last fall, the DIY trio return with Because Because Because. This 10-minute-long, six-track-strong sonic blast also stands as the group's most realized work to date, thanks to the help of Gary Olson of the Ladybug Transistor, who helmed the fruits of this one-day session at his Marlborough Farms home studio. Olson's input helped Cause to open up its sound to a more streamlined approach, noted on the tight arrangements of tracks like "Is What You Say What You Mean?" and "You Lose", which come off more like Stiff Records than K Records this time around. This vinyl-only release (it is also available as an MP3 download) also comes housed in a unique, hand-painted jacket with a silk-screen overlay, and no two covers are alike, making Because Because Because a collector's piece well worth the trip to your favorite mom-and-pop record shop, just like the olden days.
- Ron Hart
Skatterbrain!
I had not fully taken in Cause Co-Motion's recent Slumberland EP Because Because Because until this past week, but indeed it seems today's most fantastic crash-pop masters have nailed it yet again. Cause Co-Motion's best weapon has always been their relentless, reckless energy and I'm glads to see it's still very much intact – even their "slow" songs pack more steam than your average pop bands speedy songs. Gary Olson's work on this record has done wonders for their recorded sound, as well. The reverb is way deep and the guitars ring out for years and years. The EP's lead-off track, one of their "slow" songs, is the one I'm most impressed with here. You should here it!
- Matt
Exclaim.ca
Following last year's first-rate single comp It's Time!, Brooklyn's Cause Co-Motion! are again avoiding a proper studio album with the 12-inch EP Because Because Because. Made up of six tracks and a brief ten minutes, the release doesn't exactly find the Slumberland lads revamping their scrappy, crash-y lo-fi pop formula, but there are a few noticeable changes. Mainly, the foursome slow things down a bit, calming their old breakneck speed to give these songs some breathing room. And while that may have something to do with new boardsman Gary Olson (the Ladybug Transistor) producing this one, it does let the reverb-drenched jangle soak in a bit more. That said, Cause Co-Motion! still make a racket on this EP, and it also marks quite the milestone: the song "You Lose" is the band's first to ever break the two-minute mark — but only by about five seconds.
- Brock Thiessen
Dusted Magazine
The final six songs released (for the time being) from these Brooklyn junkshop-pop purveyors were seemingly beamed in straight from where the crossroads of Olympia and Glasgow in the summer of 1991 (or is that summer of 1983? 1986?). They came, they saw, the released a bunch of singles of cardigan-n-thrift-skirt indie-thrum with lots of reverb. Look for roomy vocals, the world’s most random cymbal smacks, songs that more or less hang together and a vibe that puts the librarian-lookin’ gals up front doing the well-meaning shimmy and the guys head-nodding in the back. The beats are happening (sans rockabilly) and I haven’t heard a guitar sound this strum-scrappy since, I dunno, Blast Off Country Style, maybe? Suddenly I pine for my mid-Atlantic youth and autumn days in the low 60s and the weird warmth of early Clinton-era college radio. From the website: “All copies come in really nice jacket: hand-painted with silkscreen overlay. Each one totally unique!” Seems correct to me.
- Joe Gross