Nervous Gender-Gestalt/Green Tile Floor 7" (TestTube Records, 2011)

 
Disaster Amnesiac was excited to read Razorcake's exhaustive two part interview with Nervous Gender last winter, and had been looking forward to hearing the new recording that they mentioned.
Thankfully, the Gestalt 7" does not disappoint. The two tracks are both jabbing, propulsive, and succinct; cutting synthesizer lines and super-fuzzed keyboard runs, played on what sound to be older analog gear, are punctuated by simple, pounding tom tom drumming.  The vocals and lyrics retain Gerardo's punky, alienated misanthropy, and although his presence is missed, the surviving group members do a fine job of continuing his singular vibe. The overall feel of the tunes compliment the group's name: both of these tunes will make one nervous. You can feel the adrenalin, hear the angst that is its result.
There are times when I'm reminded of the Screamers, but, seeing as Nervous Gender were that great band's contemporaries, maybe that just shows how the two bands influenced each other within a living scene as its nascent development was occurring. The presence of Screamers member Paul Roessler as engineer only adds to the super-legit feel of this 7". The sense that he put a lot of care into the production is clearly evident.  This version of Nervous Gender benefits from the care put into its production.
Here's to hoping that more recordings will emerge soon. The spirits of Gerardo and Tomata live on!