My introduction to Women was seeing them live at Artlife Gallery (now defunct) on July 23rd 2008. My friend and I had been there earlier in the day to see an art showing, so having already been stamped we were allowed re-rentry that night despite being obviously underaged. The entire line-up of that night is even more impressive in retrospect, with Indiensoci (Raphaelle Standell-Preston of Braids) opening and Abe Vigoda ending. But as Women played, I was simply awestruck. While their music was so original and foreign almost beyond comprehension, it was also eerily familiar at times. I had a hard time recongizing their pastiche, having no frame of reference for such music blissful guitar violence at the time except maybe Sonic Youth or The Velvets. Anyways, I proceeded to buy the debut album a few days later and it remains one of my most listened to LPs, along with Public Strain.
Over the next two years I was forchunate enough to meet the members of Women and see them play a handfull of times. Both of their albums recieved wide critical acclaim and they managed to carve a decent following for themselves, however part of me feels as though they never really got their due. While often compared to the likes of Deerhunter, Crystal Stilts or countless other contemporaries who seemingly bridged the gap between "noise" and "pop", Women had more to offer in my opinion. Having honed their skills early and often, playing countless types of music growing up, from gypsy jazz to thrash metal and beyond, they are incredibly accomplished musicians. At some point they refined their music palates, and Women was born. Their skills were not entirely envolped however, they simply knew when to use restraint when playing, which is an incredibly neglected element of music. Furthermore, the songs they wrote were so different from eachother yet the contrast didnt seem at all unnatural or contrived. This, combined with the sheer quality of composition and arrangement, made every song memorable upon first listen. In an age when bands tend to repeat themselves at nauseam, this dinstinciveness may have been the most admirable facet of Womens music.
When I first heard the news of the infamous "Lucky Bar Brawl" incident two years ago, having caught glimpes into the keen sense of humour shared by the band, I immidiately dismissed it as some sort of Andy Kaufman-esque stunt. After the tour cancellation, and months passing it dawned on me that they may never reform. With Chris Reimers tragic and untimely passing earlier this year, it began time to recognize the great legacy they have left and to cherish the memories I have of them.
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