Put a fruit on the barbie

Talkative emerges from the same squishy indie-rock primordial ooze as Animal Collective. The Portland-via-Eugene art freaks are test-driving material from their new LP Hot Fruit Barbecue May 23 at Tiny Tavern in the Whit.

Barbecue bursts from the gates with “Mongoose” — a punchy four-on-the-snare drum line propels the track beneath itchy, harebrained guitar work, garbled and shouted vocals, and electronic buzzing and beeping.

The manic, up-all-night energy carries on throughout the record including album high points like the brief and driving art-jam “Dusty Mastercron,” and the Devo-meets-Talking Heads (and exquisitely titled) “Gentrifuckation.”

Too catchy to be experimental, too pop to be psychedelic, Talkative at times — like in “Sampler Song” and “Hava Nagila” (no, not that Hava Nagila) — swerves dangerously close to pre-2010 indie-rock sameness, a sound as played out as the word “hipster.”

But overall Talkative has a wild and rangy charm, dancing ceremonially around a primal fire, incanting the sacred rites of ’70s-era art-punk. They’re also really, really good.

Talkative plays 9 pm Friday, May 23, at Tiny Tavern; free.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!