2 keepers
keeper avg .286
The debut album from this LA duo held some promise with the peppy single "Band Aid Covers the Bullet Hole"*****, comprising the perfect amount of bounce, sweetness, and crunch. Similarities to (one of the band's inspirations) The Cure are obvious, though the winning combination of spacey, chorus-y riffs with blasts of buzzsaw guitar in songs like "Crispin Glover"**** resemble Courtney Love even more. On slower songs this combination reminds me of the often underrated Deftones, such as on "Alexander The Burn Victim" and (the unfortunately monotonous) lead-off track "The Last Day I Was Happy," while "Baby Dracula" is a less-creative version of "Crispin Glover."
Which brings us the album's true centerpiece, the vehement "Black Horse Riding Star".... so much anger in this one; Jessicka punctuates each sweetly sung verse line by bellowing the object of each line "YOU!" with guttural rage, which is jarring and impressive at first, but eventually seems affected and silly. Structurally it's the album's "Black Dog," but with few lyrics and little musical variety (regardless of the quiet interlude) it adds up to less than it promises. But speaking of Deftones, closing track "Can't (Halloween Valentine)" mimics their spacey, bubble bath of layered guitar sound perfectly; augmented by Jessicka's graceful vocal it's a soothing respite from all the preceding fury.
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