Attica!

The 11 songs on Attica! were recorded at Ultrasuede Studios in Cincinnati, which is owned by former Afghan Whigs bassist John Curley. The album also saw the return of a member of one of Wussy frontman Chuck Cleaver's former bands; Ass Ponys guitarist John Erhardt performed on Attica! as Wussy's fifth member.

Attica!'s opening track, "Teenage Wasteland", describes singer Lisa Walker's memories of listening to the Who, especially the song "Baba O'Riley", and includes shoutouts to several of its members. The song also contains a guitar part that closely resembles that on "Baba O'Riley".{{cite web|url=http://observer.com/2014/04/a-little-known-band-with-a-big-sound/|title=A Little-Known Band With a Big Sound|work=The New York Observer|date=April 4, 2014|accessdate=May 29, 2014|last=Wheeler|first=Vicky}} The album's title track also references Dog Day Afternoon, portraying it as a tale of romantic desperation.

{{Music ratings

|rev1=AllMusic

|rev1score={{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/attica%21-mw0002666586|title=Attica! – Wussy|work=AllMusic|accessdate=May 28, 2014|last=Deming|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Deming}}

|rev2=Cuepoint (Expert Witness)

|rev2score=A+{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/cuepoint/robert-christgau-expert-witness-790131a548da|title=Robert Christgau: Expert Witness|work=Cuepoint|date=December 12, 2014|accessdate=December 12, 2014|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|archive-date=December 13, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213023243/https://medium.com/cuepoint/robert-christgau-expert-witness-790131a548da|url-status=dead}}

|rev3=Pitchfork

|rev3score=7.8/10{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19259-wussy-attica/|title=Wussy: Attica!|work=Pitchfork|date=May 5, 2014|accessdate=May 28, 2014|last=Oliphint|first=Joel}}

|rev4=PopMatters

|rev4score=7/10{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/182230-wussy-attica/|title=Wussy: Attica!|work=PopMatters|date=June 2, 2014|accessdate=June 2, 2014|last=Haag|first=Stephen}}

|rev5=The Skinny

|rev5score={{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/records/307752-wussy_attica|title=Wussy – Attica!|work=The Skinny|date=April 29, 2014|accessdate=May 28, 2014|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Will}}

|rev6=Spin

|rev6score=8/10{{cite web|url=http://www.spin.com/reviews/wussy-attica/|title=Unsung Guitar Heroes Wussy Nail Rust-Belt Americana on 'Attica!'|work=Spin|date=May 5, 2014|accessdate=May 29, 2014|last=Gubbels|first=Jason}}

}}

Attica! received generally favorable reviews from critics, with Pitchfork{{'}}s Joel Oliphint writing that "At Wussy’s best—and Attica! is pretty close to that—they’re capable of doing for us what Pete and Roger and Keith and John [referring to the members of the Who] did for them." Robert Christgau wrote in Cincinnati magazine, "In America—and Wussy are very American—only Arcade Fire and Vampire Weekend show as much will and ability to make every album both different and superb." He also said that "[Wussy's other lead singer, Lisa Walker's] ability to project empathy and dispassion simultaneously is an ongoing wonder."{{cite web|url=http://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/arts-minds/2014/05/06/wussy-battle-cries-butterflies|title=Wussy: Battle Cries & Butterflies|work=Cincinnati|date=May 6, 2014|accessdate=May 28, 2014|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau}} Another favorable review came from Charles Taylor, who wrote in the Los Angeles Review of Books that its music "...owes a debt to country-infused rock, to punk, to the sonic space and breadth Neil Young creates in his work with Crazy Horse, and, increasingly, to what might be called the erotics of noise — fuzztones, distortion, feedback."{{cite web|url=http://lareviewofbooks.org/essay/support-local-wussy/#|title=Support Your Local Wussy|work=Los Angeles Review of Books|date=May 20, 2014|accessdate=June 29, 2014|last=Taylor|first=Charles}}

In June 2014, Attica! was placed at number 25 on Newsday{{'}}s list of the "best albums of 2014 so far",{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/best-albums-of-2014-1.8592176|title=Best albums of 2014 so far|work=Newsday|date=June 27, 2014|accessdate=July 2, 2014|last=Gamboa|first=Glenn}} as well as at number 48 on a similar list by Spin.{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2014/06/50-best-albums-2014-so-far/140515-wussy-attica/|title=The 50 Best Albums of 2014 So Far|work=Spin|date=June 2, 2014|accessdate=July 2, 2014|author=Spin staff}} Robert Christgau named it the best album of the year in his list for The Barnes & Noble Review.{{cite web|url=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/review/excuses-excuses-the-2014-deans-list|title=Excuses, Excuses: The 2014 Dean's List|work=The Barnes & Noble Review|date=March 10, 2015|accessdate=April 13, 2015|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau}}

1. Teenage Wasteland (Lisa Walker; Wussy)
2. Rainbows and Butterflies (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy)
3. Bug (Lisa Walker, Chuck Cleaver; Wussy)
4. North Sea Girls (Wussy)
5. Acetylene (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy)
6. To the Lightning (Chuck Cleaver, Lisa Walker; Wussy)
7. Halloween (Lisa Walker; Wussy)
8. Gene, I Dream (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy)
9. Attica! (Lisa Walker; Wussy)
10. Home (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy)
11. Beautiful (Chuck Cleaver; Wussy)Shake It CD insert

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Category:Wussy albums

Category:2014 albums

Category:Damnably albums

Category:Shake It Records albums