Christine
Badasser
7.5
Metal Review, I’m in love! And, just like real love, the events leading up to my outpouring of emotion for this fantastic three-piece from Nashville were confusing and totally unpredictable. Been-there-done-that sludge meets female-fronted early ‘90s grungy alt-rock? Recycled Bower/Keenan/Windstein riffs crashing into hooks reminiscent of Vercua Salt? This is what Ian, hater of nigh everything, has fallen for? Yes! Why, you ask? Because it makes me feel oh-so-good! Few times has a legit love (sludge) mated with a guilty pleasure (Juliana Hatfield, Letters to Cleo, etc.) and turned out to be something so delectable, something so seriously and shamefully gratifying. Christine, you have my heart, you truly are badass…um…er.
But, I don’t expect you to follow me on this one. My love is like the wave in the Perfect Storm, it needed just the right conditions to form and drown George Clooney. It took me already digging sludge and a questionable history of FM rawk worship to really open up to Christine. And, let me tell ya, they ain’t perfect. There are a few things that could put you off, not the least of which would be when the lead singer growls, giving the tunes an unpleasant Otepian vibe, the sort of nu-ness that’s immediately followed by the “ughs” of rejection. That and you’ve heard most of these riffs before since they owe a considerable debt to the swamps of NOLA and the tune-it-low-and-play-it-slows that came before them. But, if you’re able to make it through the lesser moments, the dead weight, and if Badasser hasn’t been fed through your shredder yet, there’s a nice mix of catchy alt-rock and heavy, aggressive guitars waiting to swallow you up with near-sublime hooks and a quick, dirty rockin’ pace. It just works. Well, it does for me at least.
How am I supposed to refuse a song like “Jaundice“? A song replete with replicated Downisms; a slow groover with some fantastic bluesy lead work that fits like a glove. It’s a fine duet, showcasing Stevie Bailey’s purty pipes on the bridge. This woman was made to sing hooks, and her tough but enticing style nails the feeling and atmosphere that most of these tracks are going for. And she kills the more hushed moments as well, like “Grave Lilly“, the gorgeous slow-down song that’s like Billy Corgan rewriting the near-ballads from Eight Arms to Hold You. It just might be one of my favorite tracks of the year, but yet, I kind of get the feeling that I might be one of the few folks on this orb spinnin’ through space that sings its praises. Because, really, I’m basing this review off of something personal, something that is as non-universal as it gets: this makes me feel good. I’m not sure how it’s going to hit the rest of you, but, thanks to the wonders of technology, they have a MySpace page where you can sample what has turned me into this gushin‘, smitten bastard. So, I really do suggest you check ’em out, and if you’ve gotten into any of the quirky sludgy rock bands (Rludge? Slock?) that have been coming out, like your Floors or your Totimoshis or your The Deafs (find that review in the archives), you might want to free up some shelf room for this one. Be still my heart!
