12 Rods - Make Out Music. The Minneapolis-based 12 Rods released this song on the 1996 EP Gay? I have no idea how, but I had never heard this EP until this Monday when my friend Aaron put it on as we drank coffee and chatted all morning in Cambridge, MA. I must have heard some of these songs on REV105(RIP) back in the day. Pitchfork allegedly gave this EP a 10.0, but I can find no evidence of it on their site, which is possibly intentional, they almost never give out a perfect rating. Perhaps it was taken down when they recently re-worked their site.

Much of the album appears to be about the pain of being a closeted homosexual. The lyrics are hard-hitting and have a sort of wallflower teen angst feel to them (“everybody’s cool except for me” “what will mother say?”). The production gives these songs a visceral quality. 12 Rods successfully did something you can call post New Wave, it’s more complex than New Wave and a hybrid of that style and about 30 others. What really shines through on this album is Ryan Olcott’s vocals, they’re fantastic. Almost reminds me of Doug Martsch’s (Built to Spill) voice a little bit.

While I may agree with Eric Carr of Pitchfork who “wouldn’t have you believe that Gay? was the sound of God’s orgasm,” but it’s definitely a moan during foreplay. Listen to this song, get this EP.