Strip Cycle

About

Strip Cycle is unlike anything Knott has released before or since. While some of the lyrics call back to the deranged storytelling of his album Rocket and a Bomb, they quickly take a more personal turn, with a heavy emphasis on the challenges of being a new dad and struggles with alcohol. The musical shift is more obvious, recalling the sound of early Violent Femmes with its all-acoustic instrumentation. Shortly before recording began, Knott’s daughter Stormie found his guitar and messed with the tuning knobs. Knott like the weird sound it created and made it an intentional aspect of the record (dubbing it “Twisted Toddler Tuning”); it yielded a very unique sound, with the loose strings frequently snapping against the fret board in a percussive manner. The album features a strong lineup of songs, performed by capable Knott collaborators Brian Doidge and Chuck Cummings (Aunt Bettys) and drummer Ed Benrock (Starflyer 59). There is a sound of spontaneity throughout the album, with Knott himself playing drums—poorly—on “Super Girl” and another song cutting off mid-chorus amidst screaming. It was ultimately released by fledgling indie label Tooth & Nail (a spiritual successor to Knott’s own label Blonde Vinyl). The artwork matched the grittiness of the music, featuring grainy high-contrast images from photographer and musician Matt Wignall, and a handwritten scrawl for the titles and credits.

via Last.fm