PLS! PLS! CRNK THT NW NRCSSST LP!

It might not be a prerequisite that Stephanie Luke has to form a new band with whatever Atlanta musician she’s dating at the time, but it tends to happen more often than not, regardless. And NRCSSST – her partnership with musician/songwriter/producer Dan Dixon of electro-rock group PLS PLS and clearly a man with a vendetta against vowels – proves to be her most creatively fruitful and distinct endeavor outside of The Coathangers to date. Tucson’s Slimstyle Recording Corporation, which started out in the late ’90s putting out rockabilly compilations but has since expanded to release a wide range of acts, including albums by PLS PLS, will issue NRCSSST’s self-titled debut album on Feb. 12th.

Luke doesn’t play drums in NRCSSST (that would be Chandler Rentz, of Snowden, Michelle DuBois and many others), or guitar (one of Dixon’s many domains). She sings. She actually sings, in a developed, disciplined, nuanced way far removed from the harsh raspy yowls that characterize most of her turns on lead in The Coathangers. Dan Dixon’s lean, reedy voice offers a distinct counterpoint, as they alternate lead vocals, sometimes within the same song (such as the advance track “Sinking”) and harmonize. As far as I can tell, multi-talented Dixon is the primary force behind writing and arranging the band’s music, which covers ample ground but could be summarized as sturdy, palatable modern rock. It’s tuneful, it sounds damn good, and it does the trick, baby! Keyboardist André Griffin (PLS PLS) and bassist Danny Silvestri (Trances Arc) round out the group. Just don’t get ‘em confused with the Lithuanian metal band of the same name, whose vocals, coincidentally, sorta sound like Stephanie’s Coathangers voice.