QUARRYMEN RECORDS
Made with Aloha in the Bay Area
HEY LITTLE BIRD
The new eponymous 2nd record.
Review from The Big Takeover magazine:
"Due to exorbitant, tech boom-induced rents that forced his bandmates to move, San Francisco multi-instrumentalist Bill Chartier (previously in lo-fi trio Little Mercury) formed the one-man HLB in 2011. Following up 2016’s The Weight of My Attention, this more focused and robustly produced second LP still finds him forcefully flailing at a jangly acoustic, augmenting it with reedy keyboards and a spare, clanking drumkit, and topping everything off his piercing, forlorn, J Mascis/Stephen Malkmus-evoking wail. Once again, he keeps his songs off-the-cuff, tuneful, and succinct (only two of 16 top the three-minute mark), with his acerbic yet ambiguous lyrics meticulously mediating to find that elusive middle ground in troubled relationships, as his frayed emotional state teeters on the edge. Like a stripped-down Sebadoh or Pavement, Chartier’s slacker rock is sensitive and sincere."
THE WEIGHT OF MY ATTENTION
HEY LITTLE BIRD's 1st record.
Review from Jack Rabid at The Big Takeover magazine:
"I like this even better than Bill Chartier’s lo-fi San Franciscan combo Little Mercury, whose First Thought/Best Thought EP I reviewed in issue 73. Recording solo with an aggressive acoustic guitar, he’s still quick and to the point, spontaneous and loosey goosey, but he’s much better recorded (a big plus). And whether backing himself with bass and drums or on a highlight “I Don’t Want to Run Anymore,” dispensing with that to just fingerpick and wail a mournful vocal (the effect is as somber as John Lennon’s “Julia” or Adam Faucett’s incredible “Salton Sea”—look that up!), it’s all real raw and heart-torn, his molasses voice still reminding of Bevis Frond or Let’s Wrestle’s Wesley Gonzalez. Anyone in a ProTools and Logic age can make records like this, but Chartier’s ability and brusque alacrity (e.g. “Your Slippery Silhouette”) make TWoMA a cut-above keeper."
FIRST THOUGHT/BEST THOUGHT
Little Mercury's 2nd record.
Review from Jack Rabid at the Big Takeover magazine:
"This is simplicity reaching for charm as far as a down-to-earth bass/drums/guitar combo goes. This San Francisco group’s inaugural release for Quarrymen Records is a 15-minute six-song hit and run EP that adheres to its title. I.e., the takes are loose, emphasizing a scratchy sounding guitar (probably just plugged into an amp through a distortion box), basslines you can’t really hear (I think!), and dynamic drumming buried in the back that only comes to the fore on the standout “Don’t Try” (which also features twirling ’60s organ they can use more). And leader Bill Chartier’s voice is jowly-good, reminding me of Bevis Frond’s Nick Saloman and Let’s Wrestle’s Wesley Patrick Gonzalez. Keep it Simple Stupid? If it works!"
WAZOO
Little Mercury's 1st Record
Chris Campisi--Bass
Bill Chartier--Vox, Guitars, Keys, Cricket.
Matt Yetka--Drums & Percussion
Recorded by Kurt Schegel at Lucky Cat Studios and Chris Campisi at #A Studios.