On Repeat The Zipstream: Fishhooks' peg-legged mutant-pop

Welcome to The Zipstream, a semi-regular new column in which The A.V. Club will round up new local albums, mixtapes, and EPs that Madison-connected artists share via such channels as Bandcamp pages and upload sites. Got something you'd like us to consider? E-mail sgordon@theonion.com.

Fishhooks: Demos
At first, local band Fishhooks' five-song demo EP sounds like many of the rushed, half-formed, yet enthusiastic attempts at song one always expects to hear in a town stuffed with college students and musicians. Asked for more info about his bandmates, Fishhooks member Ben Cameron tells us only that the band (who play Thursday, Jan. 7 at The Frequency) "consists of Captain Fishhook and the Fishhooks" and "emphasizes the fictional and unreal," which doesn't make it any easier to get a sense of their musical identity. The vocals on opening track "A Quick Glimpse At Captain Fishhook" start off a bit slack and moan-y, the guitar a little ragged. As things progress, though, the song's air of unease seems less and less like the result of sloppiness. The song coheres into a stark sea-ballad, and halfway through, a drum machine bomps in, reinforcing the kind of odd beat a peg-legged drunk on a bender might settle into.

"Japan" messes around with that rhythmic sense still further, building from a depressive reggae groove into an actually rather snappy little guitar hook. The band's reggae influence mutates still further on "Night Of The Living Glass," which opens with a mournful melodica intro, then slinks down to the docks, only to burst into spinning organ chords during the chorus. Cameron says the band's next release will feature at least one rapper, mixing in further influences from Eastern music, hip-hop, and reggae. As for describing the band's M.O. in any useful way, we'll leave that to Cameron too: "Fishhooks would much rather sound awkward than regular." Download here.