The expanded edition of Radio DDR puts Sharp Pins on the map and brings some welcome attention to this tight-knit Chicago scene. Kai Slater is not only the primary songwriter and multi-instrumentalist for Dwaal Troup, the guitarist for punk and noise rock band Lifeguard, and the creator of the Hallogallo zine, but he also releases music as Sharp Pins. Radio DDR, Sharp Pins’ sophomore effort, was originally part of the Hallogallo tape series until this re-release, courtesy of K Records/Perennial, with three additional tracks tacked on at the end.
Chicago indie music is thriving, and Slater can be found at the center of much of what is happening. Hallogallo’s statement of purpose is, “This is a zine made by friends for other friends, and people in the public who could very well become our friends too. It’s about art and music made in Chicago, some made in the same basement, some made after some people met each other in another basement for a house show.” The first issue highlights the interwoven bands that featured Slater in addition to Horsegirl, Sun Picture, Sublime Jupiter Snake Duo, and Moontype (Friko and others are also referenced).
By playing in a handful of bands and painstakingly documenting their activity, Slater appears to be working tirelessly to curate a scene, even if some acts have outgrown their local roots (as Horsegirl and Lifeguard are now on Matador, Moontype’s on Ordinal, and Friko’s on ATO). There’s no denying that the DIY spirit is part of Sharp Pins’ charm, but Slater also proves the band has substance. On Radio DDR, Sharp Pins follow a long line of lo-fi artists who found inspiration in music from the 1960s and use a similar palette to deliver songs as catchy as they are rewarding.
Sharp Pins possess a familiar quality, likely due to the styles they embrace and influences that emerge throughout the record. From the opening guitar notes on “Every Time I Hear”, Slater’s affinity for Guided by Voices is unmistakable. The Beatles’ influence is also there—for instance, the intro to “Circle All the Dots” sounds strikingly similar to “If I Needed Someone”. Sharp Pins incorporate distinct sounds from other bands, including Girls (“Lorelei”), the Clientele (“You Don’t Live Here Anymore”), and the Shins (“You Have a Way”).
If the promo materials are believed, Radio DDR was recorded in Slater’s house (“on the roof in the basement”) with all the doors open. When capitalization and punctuation become superfluous, as is the case here and with Slater’s zine, meaning can get warped. However, unlike the Orwellian world in which we live, Slater uses this device to cut through the bullshit and get at the essence of things, unearthing new meaning at every turn. This approach is the opposite of the slacker ethos and more like somebody who is too busy or distracted to worry about such trivial matters.
It may take a handful of listens to fully appreciate Sharp Pins’ synthesis of jangle pop, power pop, and twee, all packaged as a home recording. The familiar Guided by Voices vibes work perfectly, as on the excellent “Is It Better”. While we should be surprised that this particular brand of indie rock has not been exhausted by now, Sharp Pins offer something different. Radio DDR contains unexpected moments that are refreshing, including Slater’s falsetto vocals on “Sycophant”, the instrumental on “When You Know”, and the refrain for “I Can’t Stop”, which at the very least offers a pregnant pause (with a wink).
Radio DDR‘s aesthetic feels like an attempt to keep analog alive in a digital world, beginning with how one acquired music in the first place: get your hands on a zine, fill out a form, send cash, and receive a tape in return. While things have gone hybrid these days, including the ability to order copies on Bandcamp, the album’s paraphernalia is sold out, suggesting those artifacts could soon be collector’s items.
Slater kept the same zany approach with Sharp Pins’ Radio DDR, adding quotes like “everyone wants to beat this tambourine” and pitching the added tracks as “new pop-singles”. This is the DIY content creation we’ve been longing for.
Will Sharp Pins transform the genre? Not likely. Does Radio DDR feature surprisingly solid songs, one after the next, without much concern with where the new ones fit? Absolutely. Without trying, Sharp Pins snubbed the pretense that comes with a proper album release, only to gain enough traction to have to turn around and do just that. As Slater shows the world on Instagram, holding an LP in hand is cool. Radio DDR‘s expanded edition will bring new attention to Sharp Pins’ and Chicago’s tight-knit indie scene.