The Rogers Sisters

SoundsXP - Invisible Deck Review - 09/ 3/06

The Rogers Sisters The Invisible Deck
Too Pure

The Rogers Sisters have come a long way in a short time. ‘Purely Evil’ and to an extent ‘3 Fingers’ were prime slabs of New York post-punk-funk influenced indie-rock. While their contemporaries from that particular wave have either given up or gone ‘pop’, the Sisters’ sound has hardened and broadened; if you’ve seen them live over the last year, you’d have heard how that sound is underpinned by Laura’s powerfully percussive beat that allows Miyuki’s bass to take more of a lead role and Jennifer’s guitar to scythe through the rhythm. Their third album, ‘The Invisible Deck’, well captures the visceral sound of the band.

There’s change from the cover inwards; the elegant old-timey sleeve design references Laura and Jennifer’s dad’s love of classic card tricks. The influences are much broader now too. The B52s and ESG might still be there (‘Money Matters’ could be the Slayer covering the B52s) but there’s also the shimmering psychedelia of ‘Your Littlest World’, the distorted, fuzztoned Detroit garage-rock of ‘You Undecided’ and, most striking of all, the full 8 minutes of ‘Sooner or Later’, a krautrocking forest of sound excellently produced, as the rest, by NY rhythm wizard Tim Barnes. As the record’s UK release is 6 months later than in the US, the last three singles are all here. First, ‘Emotion Control’ contrasts a dense, uptight rhythm in the verses with a military beat and call-and-response chorus; next, ‘Never Learn to Cry’ is a tight ball of psychedelic dread, bound together with catherine-wheeling guitars; most recently, the in-your face ‘Why Don’t You’ is swaggering garage rock, flashing riffs like a flicknife.

While the album still has a counterculture punch (on ‘Money Matters’ teens are “programmed from birth only to consume’) the Sisters are political with a small ‘p’. Dubya might be the butt of ‘The Light’ but it’s an indirect dig. Still these are little niggles rather than big faults; what’s important is that the Sisters keep going, keep refreshing and re-inventing themselves, and keep turning out top tunes. As long as they keep producing it, I’ll keep buying it.

Article written by Ged M
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