4 out of 5

Label: Sub Pop

Produced by: Steve Albini (engineered by)

In a surely incorrect statement, I feel like artists blow their Steve Albini card early. You either form a relationship and work with him for several albums, or you chase the name early on, get (sometimes) a landmark record out of it… and then several discs later, your sound has changed, or arguably matured, and it would’ve been cool to hear the full form version of the group partnered with the producer – i.e. when they may be more capable of influencing the session.

So just based on that (again, likely incorrect) statement, I respect the heck out of FACS saving their Albini recording for not only several albums / years into their career, but also only using it for a single.

North America Endless is the first non-live recording to go back to the original trio, and though bassist Alianna Kalaba was part of what shaped and pushed the group towards a more “live” sound, the A-side title track is the best example of that sound, combining a forward momentum rumble with a meaty, streamlined approach that’s truly the group’s purest rock song yet. And it does rock, with Case actually getting some full lyrics out and hiccupping into impressive yowls, while the rhythm section churns, and takes advantage of that raw Albini-ness.

B-side Annie Lennox cover Take Me to Your Heart adds that 80s echo to the drums, and… y’know, is okay. Nostalgia for the original will likely help, but it’s otherwise, like, a cover, just recorded with live instrumentation. There’s no flair to it, nothing especially FACS-y, except you’re reminded of their krautrock / 80s sound from albums’ prior.

The B-side won’t get many plays from me, but the A-side is absolutely worth it, and is preferred over the live version.