I’ve resisted applying the tag lo fi to music for such a long time now. If nothing else, I’m impressed with myself. That being said, it’s become more and more difficult to escape the term – and it doesn’t appear to be getting any easier. So, I relent. There’s now only my own pride standing in the way of utilizing that term – and since there’s such a shortage of that personal confidence, here it goes.

Nerve City, which is the recording project of Richmond, Virginia based Jason Boyer, makes use of current lo fi tendencies. How was that? Ridiculous? Yes. But now, at least there’s some sort of broad and general understanding of what Nerve City sounds like. Yeah, but aren’t there about fifteen hundred other groups that sound like that? Yep. So, how then to differentiate this joker from the pack?

There’s the fact that Nerve City has been releasing a tremendous amount of work over the last few years, including a 10” called I Fucked Death, released via the Oakland Kill Shaman Records. But beyond the spate of albums and singles that have been released under the Nerve City banner is the fact that Boyer is able to vary his sound relatively easily despite the limitations of not just the ‘genre,’ but the recording techniques that are being used here.

On the recent compilation Recordings (2007-2008), that collects some of those stray shot singles, two consecutive songs are able to separate Nerve City from a great deal of the other ensembles, groups or loners trucking in lo fi stylistics. “Disaster” arrives all bassy and supported by trebly hand claps, but no proper percussion. With this particular approach, Boyer is able to still retain a rock and roll vibe throughout the entirety of the song as he yelps a bit and gets off a short guitar solo. It’s difficult to tell what’s going on lyrically, but listeners should be sure that it’s not all that good.

Following that offering is “Mothers,” which again eschews traditional percussion – this time even dispensing with the hand claps. This second track dials back the pace and while it doesn’t get into droney territory, that eerie organ serves as much of a creep out as anything that black metal dudes are capable of summoning.

But there’s more than just downer tracks recorded in a vein meant to purport some assumed sadness. “I Am Alive,” the album’s second track, gifts listeners with some much needed Velvet Underground styled rock stuff. Perhaps the 1969 self titled album is the best comparison. There are huge stretches of droning keys and simplistic drumming that comprise the track. Its perceived positive outlook– again, that’s a guess seeing as Boyer’s voice is pretty far down in the mix – might be the only thing to distinguish it from a dug up, druggy, ‘60s artifact.

That’s not the point, though. Boyer’s out there cultivating an aural aesthetic, unwittingly or not, that’s going to make new age music foragers take note. So, cop it well…