http://www.angelfire.com/nj3/killyourtv
new!!! reviews of excellent bands that are making a difference
while making some noise! if you're in a band that's female/co-fronted or
all-girl, you can send material to be reviewed too if you like! please e-mail
sara scalper at saraxscalper@earthlink.net if you
wanna be a part of this!
- shiny
mama-6 song demo-yana chupenko, the lead
singer of shiny mama, is a renaissance woman! in addition to many wonderful
bands in the past and present, she also runs a line of cosmetics, tony and
tina. so it's no surprise to me that a woman of so many talents should make
such rockin' music. this cd is metal, metal, metal!!! with some punk thrown in
for good measure. yana's beautiful, almost operatic (she trained in opera as a
child) vocals are powerful and go perfectly with the harsh guitars, adding
balance. the lyrics are witty, songs are totally meant for the banging of the
head, and yana herself is a real sweetheart. and, for a special treat, shiny
mama does a cover of the rainbows' 'long live rock'n'roll' (the song will be
included on kill yr tv's comp 'penis goes venus'), giving them tons of metal
cred...three words-ronnie james dio! shiny mama, rock on with yr bad self!
(buy stuff: www.shinymama.com)
- northern state-'dying in stereo'-whoever said
that white girls can't rap obviously didn't get the memo to the talented
ladies of northern state! mc's hesta prynn, dj sprout, and guinea love make
some of the finest hip-hop this girl has heard in a long time, with a sweet
old-school flavor and biting rhymes...who wouldn't love a song containing the
lyrics 'if you pass me on the street, don't say what's up honey, i'll get
kung-fu on yr ass like it's not even funny'?! but the best thing about
northern state, by far, is that they are bringing politics and women's issues
back into hip-hop. at a time when hip-hop has become all about 'bling-bling',
and women have been delegated as 'bitches and hos', it's refreshing to see a
group of women take the mic and never look back, spouting all that they feel.
songs like 'vicious cycle' talk about all the kids with fresh ideas keeping
hip-hop alive and real, while 'at the party' is about holding their own in the
boy's club. my favorite song of theirs, though, is 'signal flow (you can't
fade me)', a killer musical romp that drops major names...but not the kind of
ones you'd usually hear mentioned in hip-hop! the songs are inspired, the
lyrics are intelligent and highly feminist, and the minimalist sounds are very
catchy. it's obvious to me that northern state, along with a small group of
others (princess superstar, sarah jones, etc.) are the last great hope of
women in hip-hop today...keep on stylin', ladies, we're rooting for you all
the way! p.s.- i really liked the air fresheners too...one's so goin in my
car! (buy stuff: www.northernstate.net)
- bang! bang!-'do you like it?'-honestly, yes i
do! there's gotta be something about bands with the word 'bang' in their name
(the bangs, bang sugar bang, etc.) that's predeterminedly great, and bang!
bang! is no exception. jack flash's vocals remind me of a delicious combo of
richard hell and mark mothersbaugh of devo, while gretta fine's cute
interjections are the icing on the proverbial vocal cake. the songs are unique
(my personal faves: 'in or out'...check the woos if you dig 'hedwig'!, and
'move'), the tunes are most definitely rockin' (very lates 70s-cbgb's
sounding), and you just have to dig a band that can pull off completely white
outfits, a lightning bolt tie, and hot pants!!! i expect more greatness in the
future from this band, no doubt. (buy stuff: www.bangbangband.com)
- the cutters-'in the valley of enchantment' and 'sunday!
sunday! sunday!'-not only was this band kind enough to send me
two cds to review, but i enjoyed them both! vocalist angela brown has a
beautiful, full voice and the songs are catchy as hell. on 'in the valley of
enchantment'-'(back in the) 20th century' has excellent searing lyrics (check
the line 'in the home of the brave and fancy free where you can be all you can
be'...the intonation in angela's voice makes this play on words so amusing!),
'sushi' has some of the most clever wording i've heard in a while, and 'eric's
room' is incredibly deep. as for 'sunday! sunday! sunday!'...they do a song
about 'veruca salt' from 'charlie and the chocolate factory'! need i say more?
you must give this band a listen! musically: take the muffs, put them in a
blender with joan jett, x, and a whopping dash of 'secret chemical x'. i have
a feeling this is going to be in serious rotation in my cd player for a long
time. (buy stuff: www.blackjackhumboldt.com)
- the dollyrots-'eat my heart out'-the dollyrots
are definitely one of my new favorite bands. not only are the songs extremely
catchy and fun, but the dollyrots are some of the nicest people i've ever met!
i had the good fortune of hanging out with them at a show they played near me,
and they are extremely sweet, especially kelly! that girl is a LIVING doll!
their live performances are full of energy and spunk, and their cd does not
fail to deliver this as well. kelly's childlike, unique voice, melodies
that'll hook you from the beginning, and singalong lyrics combine to make this
album a definite keeper. my personal favorites are 'jackie chan' (i love the
way she says 'chan'! it's so darling!), 'wreckage', and 'kick me to the curb'.
also, make sure to note that they cover an old classic with style and panache,
'be my baby' (by the shirelles, i believe). all in all, an ace recording. i'm
so lucky to have become friends with the dollyrots! (buy stuff:
www.thedollyrots.com)
- the hunks-'the perfect pick-up line'-if i were
you, i'd definitely get my little behind over to the hunks' website and pick
up one of their six-song eps this very moment. why, you may ask? 'the perfect
pick-up line' has a wonderful mixture of poppy, upbeat tunes, angsty anthems,
and soft balladic melodies...it's a surefire bet that everyone will like it!
to describe the hunks' sound, i would say the throaty, snarling vocals remind
me of chrissie hynde of the pretenders, while the intricate guitar parts are
reminiscent of old sleater-kinney...but the band stll has a sound all it's
own. yes, it's just that good! no, don't take my word for it, get a copy from
the hunks yrself! (p.s. my fave tracks were 'littleton' and 'flowers=badass'.)
(buy stuff: www.jesmuse.com/thehunks.html)
- farewell to youth-s/t-this band perfectly
defines 'pop punk'. no, not that horrible shit that mtv deems pop punk, but
truly poppy punk...cute female/male vocals with catchy melodies and singalong
choruses. young 'punks' who are buying into the avril lavigne/lillix hype
should feast their ears on this album, and possibly learn a little something.
yes, punk can be catchy and have a message as well, and farewell to youth
proves this. (buy stuff: www.loreleirecords.com)
- the dials-'sick times'-the dials are candy to my
ears! they are absolutely wonderful! take the dickies, blend them like
children's clay with the gogos and sleater-kinney, and you have the dials. not
many punk bands can pull off the organ sound (the dickies and x are the two
best examples i can give), but the dials make it work and make me want to
listen to this cd over and over again! my favorite songs: 'take it to the man'
and 'sick times'. you will definitely have some sick (in the good,
surfer-esque way) times if you have this album. (buy stuff: www.thedials.us)
- shevel knievel-'bull wevel'-this band is
absolutely nuts (in a good way)! i've had the pleasure of interviewing them,
and they are very interesting people...and their music reflects that. first
off, if you don't know the story behind the band, you will...have to e-mail
them and ask them because i am not typing it all up here lol. these grrls are
so much fun! but we're not here to talk about them....we're here to discuss
the music! this stuff is the very definition of 'raw'. imagine if L7 and
fugazi had a big orgy, and then committed mass suicide, then reformed into one
entity. that's what shevel knievel sounds like. very diy-sounding recording,
songs with crazy lyrics that get stuck in yr head...worship at the feet of
shevel knievel or be mercilessly slaughtered! (buy stuff:
www.shevelknievel.net)