In the midst of a dark hazy blue set, murky howls chant over a stampede of drums served by Talk Normal at The Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn for the inaugural three day WFMU Fest hosted by New Jersey free form radio, WFMU. Opening for Teenage Jesus and the Jerks on Oct 3rd, Talk Normal bestowed a sudden yet mesmerizing set before the stage lights were on or it was even official the show had started. Without introducing themselves, they set fire to a furry of bantering safari like drums and a stagnant guitar on “River’s Edge” off of their Party Store Music Coldest Beer in Town cassette compilation. As the girls empty their lungs moaning “The water is flowing” there is the stir of a plane crash or an exotic love making session amid the riffs that go on and on. The No Wave minimalist tag team that is Talk Normal consists of drummer Andrya Ambro and guitarist Sarah Register who share the job of vocals, if that’s what you call it. The girls voices, melodious like a dream and sometimes a nightmare, are full of character as they shriek and wail to harmonies that combat one another and take on a distant churning cognitive state, reminiscent of Lydia Lunch's primal haunting.
While “Outside,” from their Prata Normalt limited run bootleg, sounds like a torrential down poor of un-interpretable lyrics and screeching guitar; “Lemonade”, off of their 5 song EP Secret Cog released in 2008, opens with bird chirping and leads into an electric shock wave of cheerful, repetitive symbols crashing and somewhat more tranquil and soft noisy exhales that end with an owl hoot. Effervescently stammering, “33” resides on their “Secret Cog” EP and serves up a ticking time bomb of murmur and clacks with layers of clamor and a sporadic, jaunty bass line thanks to a guest appearance by bassist Richard Hoffman from The Sightings. The show closes as Sarah’s ripped white t shirt fills with cold sweat and Andrya’s bangs quit the fight of staying out of her eyes. The girls thank the soundman and audience, and listeners were shaken alive from a sinister mirage that, in retrospect, did not nearly last long enough. The girls worked so hard their hands gained muscle mass.
