Microwaves had a rather simple solution to the departure of its bassist/singer back in May 2021.
They called the guys who used to do it.
Fortunately, they were up for it, because it takes a certain comfort level with complete and utter musical chaos to be part of Microwaves.
The Pittsburgh band — which attacks with a violent blend of prog, noise, hardcore, metal and math-rock, due in part to its exposure to everything from Captain Beefheart to Voivod — formed in 2000 with the trio of drummer John Roman (late of the punk band The 1985), guitarist Dave Kuzy and bassist Steve Moore. When Moore left in 2006 to form prog duo Zombi (with another outstanding Pittsburgh drummer, A.E. Paterra), Microwaves added bassist/singer Adam MacGregor (Creation is Crucifixion, Conelrad).
MacGregor was on board for one album, “Contagion Heuristic,” before he and his wife moved to India. Microwaves worked as a duo and with Jason Jouver (Creta Bourzia, Don Caballero, T-Tops) before enlisting Johnny Arlett for 2018’s “Via Weightlessness.”
When Arlett gave notice in May 2021, Roman and Kuzy didn’t give a thought to folding. The next day they texted both MacGregor and Moore about returning to the band.
The catch is that MacGregor lives in D.C. and Moore (who works on film soundtracks along with his work in Zombi) is in upstate New York, meaning that Microwaves would be running a lot through fiber-optic cables.
The band’s seventh album, “Discomfiture Atlas,” coming Friday on the San Diego-based Three One G Records, started with Kuzy and Roman laying down their complete tracks that would be heard on the record.
“Dave and I wrote everything as a duo, as far as we could take it, and then we handed the songs off to Adam and Steve and said, ‘Hey, do what you want with it. Fill in the rest.’ ”
“Usually,” he says, “it was a thumbs up, with a couple little amendments here and there.”
MacGregor handles bass on the first seven songs, labeled “Pyroclast,” and Moore takes over for the second seven, as “Plasma.” There are also guest appearances by Eric Paul (Arab on Radar, Doomsday Student, Psychic Graveyard), Sarah Quintero (Spotlights), Rebecca Burchette (Exosus) and Todd Rittman (Dead Rider).
The result is more sonic insanity from Microwaves with stabbing guitars that make you feel you’re being chased, beats that are in constant shifting motion, alien electronics and barked vocals that have little use for melody.
Songs like “Your Dumb Guts” and “Stench of Earth” won’t be played alongside The Clarks on DVE or The Commonheart on WYEP any time soon.
“‘Discomfiture Atlas’ is the split personality disorder of Microwaves albums,” Roman says.
As for the live plan, Microwaves notes in its bio, “A far wiser band once sang of ‘40 Versions,’” referring to an art-punk influence Wire. “Microwaves hopes that ‘Discomfiture Atlas’ satisfies listeners with two. The ‘Pyroclast side’ version of the band will tour in Fall 2022, with hopes for future performances by the ‘Plasma’ lineup.”
You can find the Microwaves lineup of Roman, Kuzy and MacGregor at Brillobox, Bloomfield, at 9 p.m. Saturday with Fortune Teller, Dark Money and Spirit Bear. Tickets are $10; brilloboxpgh.com.
First Published: October 13, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
