Wussy / Diehard / Plus special guests

Village Voice writes, "Aficionados of surly, grudgingly beautiful, self-loathing Midwestern rock are perhaps already acquainted with Chuck, he of the poorly named Ass Ponys, who, for a decade or so, trudged alongside the titans of that particular genre, especially on 2001's grimly gorgeous (and excellently named) Lohio. Back then, you wouldn't have figured his next project to play out on a Fleetwood Mac/Quasi/Richard and Linda Thompson are-they-or-aren't-they-and-will-they-eventually-kill-each-other-regardless? battlefield of tough love and vivid unease. But in 2005, the adequately named Wussy burst forth with "Airborne," the stupendously combative leadoff track to their debut, Funeral Dress, wherein Chuck and Lisa sort of tunefully yell at each other, hating themselves for loving each other already. You'd have given 'em six months at best and prayed it didn't end in homicide. But the record ended with the hesitant, rapturous ballad "Don't Leave Just Now," and they didn't, and four years and a couple more full-lengths later, they're still making both music and, apparently, buttons together."