Bastard Child
Bravely forges a blend of hopped-up bluegrass, jangly Camper Van Beethoven-ish grooves, Jeannie C. Riley style singing, and a barely contained enthusiasm for AM rock and new wave.
This record bravely forges an infectious blend of hopped-up bluegrass, jangly Camper Van Beethoven-ish grooves, Jeannie C. Riley style singing, guileless backporch leisure and a barely contained enthusiasm for AM rock and new wave. It's all wrapped up with some decidedly pop smarts, courtesy of a bigger, fuller sound with new guitarist Chuck Uchida and mandolinist George Goehl.
Singer/writer Kim Docter continues to push the envelope with her wry, keepin' a stiff upper lip in the face of the shit storms of life songwriting. She can get you humming along incessantly ("Turn the Lights Down Low"or the pop hoe-down of "Burn in Hell") and get you riled up ("Bastard Child"). There's even a couple of covers guaranteed to shake your moneymakers: a delightfully sunny version of Black Oak Arkansas' "Nobody Wants to Die" and a punked out take on Human League's "Don't You Want Me."
It is, far and away, their most ambitious record. It's got the speed and energy of their previous work, but with a refined ear for the hook. If the gods smite those with closed, compartmentalized ears, this record will deeply impress with its cross-genre rowdiness.
