Night Court has a new album! (and is opening for Kid Congo)

Holy cow, Night Court is prolific. How does a band put out this much material? Since I got on board with the release of Humans, a little over a year ago, they've put out a 7" EP, a split single, toured and played locally, all the while making time for other projects (Autogramm, Pet Blessings). And it's all been great, very fun. I've had the chance to preview $Hit Machine, and I'm thinking this is going to be my favourite Night Court album ever: It's tight, tuneful, catchy, and the songs are mostly hypercaffeinated super-short, fat-free, protein-rich punches of joy. There are 17 in total -- just one song less than the Minutemen's The Punch Line. Exuberance and hooks abound. Hell, there is even a new video (for "Captain Caveperson") and ANOTHER new video ("D-List" -- wtf., "We are the veal?" I must watch that again). 

And BEST OF ALL, they're playing tonight at the Rickshaw, as the first opening band for Kid Congo Powers, who at least some of us were going to see anyways!!! (See my archival interview with Kid Congo here -- including vintage Bev Davies photos of Kid Congo with the Cramps. Was I supposed to correct something in that? Fuck, maybe. Oh, and see my newest interview with Bev Davies here -- my second in less than a year; see the previous one -- the Montecristo one -- here. Is it a wonder that I appreciate how prolific Night Court is?). 

I did a quick interview with Night Court, since I was curious if there any particular examples of the short song format that really, really mattered to their development(s) as songwriters -- the first song(s) they fell in love with as a listener that clock in under two minutes? (For my part, I pointed out to Night Court that the first really short song I fell in love with were the Minutemen's "If Reagan Played Disco" (1:19): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6bDSvSwtZM and maybe the Dead Kennedys' "Dog Bite" (1:14): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua3XmqAO40k).

Photo: Tyler McLeod

Night Court (presumably Jiffy Marx, subject of a What's In Your Fridge recently) responded thus: FAVOURITE SHORT FORM SONGS! See you TONIGHT!!! Commence Night Court's answer -- fave short form songs: 

F.Y.P. "Predict the Past" https://recessrecords.bandcamp.com/track/predict-the-past

Guided by Voices "Game of Pricks" https://youtu.be/MjZ6HL-8WK0

Ramones "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" https://youtu.be/rf6Yv4lMhhs?si=A3MR5Nc8U7BE_pOd

Wire "Fragile" https://youtu.be/fJoLkMAzq10?si=tW-VuoxqrQB0SU1K

Mike Krol "Fifteen Minutes" https://youtu.be/yhfMBWWZUMc?si=KhD32DTv4FteNOtX (keep in mind the song doesn't start until 20 seconds in.. great video too)

So none of these bands write exclusively short (under 2 minutes if that's what we're considering short) songs including the ones you named and many others but we did notice lots of good songs are short so that's just what came out.

When we started writing stuff which is the stuff that became Nervous Birds One + Too, that was our specific mission operative- to trim any fat and make the songs as brief as we could make them while not losing their charm or integrity. Ambitious or dumb who can say? But it's a format that has worked so far so we've sorta inadvertently stuck with it.

(Allan again: I make an observation that "Captain Caveperson" reminds me more of the Nervous Birds material than some of the subsequent recordings -- it really, really is a polished tiny gem. Is there a reason for that? (FYI I think of HUMANS! as being a bit more rough-hewn, experimental, lo-fi, while the Nervous Birds albums seem very, very focused; I don't know if that even makes sense, or if you'd agree).

 

That's interesting (as are all your questions here so thanks!) although i wouldn't necessarily say that was our intent. The Nervous Birds stuff was experimental in that we didn't really know what we were doing and didn't even know at the time that we'd do anything with those recordings, it was only after they kind of turned out cool that we pursued making this experiment a band; as you may recall Emilor didn't even join the band until after most of that stuff was recorded due to the Covid lockdown. HUMANS! was the first thing we recorded as a band and in our "studio" that we built. Some, although not all, of the songs we had played live prior to recording which was also a first, so i would say those songs were maybe a bit more sussed out. We probably did experiment a bit more when it came time to record just to see what we'd get. For this one we've actually gone back to that i think? We have been playing some of the new songs this year but not until after we'd recorded them from what i can remember (but to be fair my memory is terrible lol)

I think I heard "Captain Caveperson" at the Green Auto gig I saw a couple months ago, but my memory is terrible too. But I'm going to be there tonight! (Then race to the Waldorf as soon as they are done to catch BB Allin and the Stabbers!). 

NOTE: The Night Court t-shirt GLOWS IN THE DARK!!!!

More info about tonight's show here!