Pulsallama

Unless you obsess over the minutiae of Ann Magnusons career or still curl up with your tattered copies of New York Rocker late at night, its a good bet youve never heard of Pulsallama, an all-female percussion ensemble who were the toast of New Yorks Lower East Side underground scene for about two years in the early 80s. Their recorded legacy was small: they released two hard-to-find singles on a U.K. indie label and cut an album that never came out when financing dried up. Thankfully, in 1983, at the height of their hip cachet, Pulsallama recorded a live set for French radio in a New York recording studio, and those seven songs have been given commercial release for the first time in 2020 on an EP simply titled Pulsallama. Theres an arty side to this music that speaks to Pulsallamas hip downtown leanings, yet theres also an unpretentious sense of fun in the way the songs play out amidst the layers of rhythm laid over Jean Caffeines trap drums, Judy Strengs bass lines, and the groups massed vocals. The funky, home-brewed grooves are just right for the witty, absurdist lyrics about low-impact international romance, demonic possession spoiling suburban life, and musical travelogues of exotic lands. Vocalists Kimberly Princess Davis, April Palmieri, and Wendy Wild sound just right whether theyre harmonizing, singing in unison, or yelling like cheerleaders. The percussive talents of Min Bone Finder Sanchez, Stacey Joy Elkin, and the rest of the ensemble are not always exacting, though their enthusiasm and commitment to their half-Latin, half-Tinkertoy instrumentation more than make up for their flaws. (Ann Magnuson, who became a successful actress and the vocalist with Bongwater, was out of the group by the time this was recorded, though she was a founding member and gave the project its name.) And the spirit of this music -- half punk rock anyone can do this nerve and half high school talent show eagerness -- is irresistible. Pulsallama isnt a major archaeological find in the field of lost groups of the past, but this EP confirms that the band deserved to be documented for posterity, and it should fill up the dance floor at your next New Wave Nostalgia party. ~ Mark Deming