With a discography ranging from good (All at Once) to great (the Steve Albini-produced Ugly) to secretly influential (“Jonah,” from 2006’s Baby Teeth, predated Courtney Barnett by six years), Screaming Females are among the more consistent guitar bands of Bandcamp-era indie rock. That’s the story told by Singles Too, a 16-track compilation that charts the New Brunswick, New Jersey trio’s 15-plus year career not through its hits — did this band ever have any actual hits? — but through its non-album singles, B-sides, and covers. Some of these songs appeared on 2010’s Singles, but it’s nice to have everything in one place. Luckily, there are enough moments to justify its existence.
The first two tracks, 2006’s “Arm Over Arm” and “Zoo of Death,” capture the essence…
…of most Screaming Females songs: fuzzy riffs, singalong chorus, one verse or chorus too many. By 2008’s “No Being Disgusting,” the songs get tighter, and you can hear the band learning to play with dynamics. It’s also the first time we hear singer and guitarist Marissa Paternoster’s signature howl, which often acts as a fourth band member; it sounds like a Greek god yelling into a paper towel tube.
Around 2013’s “Ancient Civilization,” Screaming Females start to sound better, though better studios don’t always mean better songs. But because of the comp’s low stakes, it’s not such a big deal that the riffs on “Let Me In” don’t quite add up to a song, or that “Skeleton” would sound better in a pit than on a playlist, or that the melody of “Take It Back” doesn’t stick. The peak of the compilation’s original music, “Pretty Okay” (which also appears on 2014’s Live at The Hideout) and “I Do,” are the songs that sound most likely to appear on an album. Other highlights include an acoustic demo for Rose Mountain’s “Hopeless” and a remix of All At Once’s “End of My Bloodline” by Sammus and Moor Mother.
The bonus CD of cover songs is the real revelation. Screaming Females’ takes on Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, Patti Smith, Guided By Voices, Taylor Swift, and Eurythmics are loose, jammy, and, most importantly, fun—perfect for people who like the idea of karaoke but don’t want to watch their co-workers botch “If It Makes You Happy,” which the band absolutely crushes. There and on “Shake It Off,” bassist “King” Mike Abbate and drummer Jarrett Dougherty prove to be the perfect anchors to Paternoster’s furious guitar playing. Annie Lennox’s otherworldly performance on “No More ‘I Love You’s’” becomes an unexpected showcase for Paternoster’s gentler upper register. It makes you wish there were another Screaming Females song like it.
Singles Too doesn’t challenge or complicate Screaming Females’ strengths and shortcomings, and it doesn’t try to. Instead, it focuses on the band’s evolution. This is less “greatest hits” and more “here’s what you might have missed.” It’s as good an introduction as any to a trio that still sounds more similar to its 2005 self than different. More often than not, this is a compliment.