Locate S,1
Wicked Jaw
Captured Tracks Records
There we were: Monday, July 31, 2 pm. I’d traveled 400 miles from Cocoa Beach to see a special green-haired musician friend play a couple of shows over the weekend in Charleston. While in town, she took me to a heaven-on-earth-type place called Monster Music & Movies. Back in the prehistoric days, we didn’t have (or need) iPocket gadgets to tell us what music we were mandated to be into. We looked to the cool guy behind the record store counter with the ponytail (and the Camaro) to turn us on to new tunes. And that’s exactly how this all happened… sorta.
As I was perusing Monster’s impressive selection of John Denver and Bauhaus vinyl LPs, I noticed a magical sound playing over the in-store hi-fi. Immediately, the song swept me into something of a hypnotic trance.
Hey, somebody grab the smelling salts from the break room! That old guy just fainted back by the Pantera section!
Upon regaining consciousness, my first words were, “Ugh, what is this intoxicating record you’re playing?” Guiding me gently and cautiously to the New Release waterfall bin, the bearded staffer replied, “It’s the new album from Locate S,1.” What’s a “Locate S,1” I thought to myself. As the friendly fella handed me the crisp-looking, eye-catching, factory-sealed LP, I fired back instantly, “SOLD!” Gee whiz, for $22.95, I sure hope the rest of it doesn’t suck!
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again — if ya ain’t gots songs, ya ain’t gots jack. And with her latest record, Wicked Jaw, Christina Schneider (aka Locate S,1) proves (again) she does in fact “gots songs” — and pretty freakin’ good ones, at that.
From start to finish, this new 10-track studio collection shows the Athens, Georgia-based singer, songwriter, and producer bundling up bunches of troubled personal past experiences. Dumping those less-than-tasty morsels onto a shiny cookie sheet, she coats ‘em with cinnamon sugar and candy sprinkles, resulting in one of this season’s sweetest seductions.
Simply put, you can’t fake authenticity, man. And unlike so many of today’s wildly popular, pristine digi-turd purveyors, Locate S,1 clearly was NOT concocted in a corporate board room. Wicked Jaw oozes honest, pure artistry, as if plucked from an alternative college radio heavy rotation playlist, back when music was art, and art was important… AND interesting.
Wicked Jaw covers A LOT of stylistic real estate, combining modern-day mystique and new-wave bounce with a smidge of go-go girl guitar and a splash of schizoid jazz.
Of the three initial video singles, the post-breakup confessional “You Were Right About One Thing” makes for a hooky, effective album trailer that’s super-fun to watch (over and over and over).
Described in the official Wicked Jaw label press release as, “a devastating bossa nova track,” the latest video single, “Go Back to Disnee” is simply irresistible — it also captures the authentic werbble sound of the movie projector at my elementary school, circa ‘69.
And if you’re not thwacked completely by the sight AND sound of the “Heart Attack” video single, well, you might be flatlining, pardner.
Truth be told, I’ve purchased three copies of Wicked Jaw thus far: one on blue vinyl, one on orange vinyl, and a digital iTunes copy (for the phone), ‘cuz I really don’t wanna take my turntable with me in the shower. Hopefully, I’ll score a fourth copy from the ol’ merch table (and get it signed) when I travel back to Charleston to catch Christina and company at the Pour House on September 21. Yes, I’ve already packed my Sharpie.
Now will somebody PLEASE pick up that F-ING phone? It’s been ringing non-stop for nearly FOUR MINUTES!
Wicked Jaw Track List
SIDE ONE
- You Were Right About One Thing (Schneider) – 3:42
- Go Back to Disnee (Schneider) – 3:16
- Pietae (Schneider) – 2:54
- Heart Attack (Schneider) – 3:34
- The Hard Way (Schneider) – 4:16
SIDE TWO
- Danielle (Schneider) – 3:06
- Have You Got it Yet? (Schneider) – 2:19
- Blue Meaniez (Schneider) – 3:51
- Daffodil (Schneider, Phillips) – 2:27
- Wicked Jaw (Schneider) – 2:17
