The Big Pink Was Never Ringers on 11 New Songs—10 of Which Love Wrotea Withtraditional Rock Band
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DECEMBER 2011 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM REVIEWS HOLE TNobody’sHE BIG PINK Daughter [Universal] Future This [4AD] The first album released under the Hole moniker since 1998’s Celebrity Skin is really frontwoman Courtney Love’sHyping this follow-up to their stunner of a debut, A Brief History of second solo album—co-founder,Love, U.K. duo Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell have talked a lot about the songwriter and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson isn’t involved,influence of pop and hip-hop. Indeed, synths and samples here fill space nor is any other previous Hole member. So it’s Love andonce three reserved for fuzz guitar and live drums, but the Big Pink was never ringers on 11 new songs—10 of which Love wrotea withtraditional rock band. Like its predecessor, Future This points back to collaborators like Billy Corgan, Linda Perry and new guitarist Micko Larkin. (Perry1991, gets fullwhen credit groups on one tune, like EMF, Jesus Jones and most notably U2 began “Letter to God.”) experimenting with electronic dance music, creating a new kind of stadium Much of the riveting intensity of the group’s 1990s heyday appears to haverock. left alongWhat’s with different her former this Daniel Jackson time is the overall tone. The Big Pink’s breakout bandmates, but there are fl ashes here of the snarling Too often, though, the slower songs trip her up. While once fury Love deployed to such2009 devastating single effect “Dominos” back in the day.presented they were frontman showcases forFurze harrowing as displayssomething of naked of emotion, a She spits out her vocals playboy,with vengeful and disdain although on “Skinny he Little often Love conveyed sounds more a brooding dispassionate sincerity, these days. this The disc’s production Bitch,” overdriven guitars roiling atop an elastic bassline that doesn’t help—the songs have an airless, sanded-down feel that speeds up as the song standoutraces toward tracks—“Stay a climatic pile-up Gold,” at the “Hitdoesn’t the fi Groundt with her visceral (Superman),” persona. Courtney and “Lose Love’s tumultuousYour end. She shifts tempos and attitude on the more contemplative history suggests that she has a compelling story to tell, and “Pacifi c Coast Highway,”Mind”—feel taking stock as more layers ofearnest acoustic and exuberant.perhaps she does. When It’s just things not the get one she’sbombastic, telling on Nobody’s the electric guitars chug along behind her. Daughter. –Eric R. Danton band isn’t just showing off—it’s uplifting the masses. –KP COURT YARD HOUNDS A side project of new offering suggested that its creator was a few strides closer to Dixie Chicks’ Martie crafting something truly monumental in both musical and social terms. Court Yard Hounds Maguire and Emily This cold and private set isn’t it, although that’s probably due more to [Columbia] Robison, Court Yard personal circumstances than anything related to talent. Wainwright Hounds delivers wrote All Days Are Nights while his mother, Kate McGarrigle, was much-anticipated dying of cancer, and there is a quiet, complex sadness even in its insight—both musical and personal—into the sisters who have less autobiographical material. There’s nothing here except piano for so long ceded center stage to Chicks singer Natalie Maines. and vocal, and Wainwright doesn’t project his words in the way Though steeped in familiar instrumentation, the album offers little we’ve come to expect from him. Instead of serenading the person of the barn-burning brashness that made the Chicks famous (save in the farthest corner of a packed theater, he’s singing to himself in perhaps the gutsy “Ain’t No Son”). Instead, its delicate folk-pop an otherwise empty room. –David Styburski prettiness perfectly suits Robison’s more-than-capable voice and the jumble of emotions, sunny and melancholy, that emerge in a song Ozomatli’s music has been called a collision cycle inspired by her 2008 divorce. Maguire’s weeping fi ddle and OZOMATLI of styles, a cultural mash-up, and a 20-car seamless harmonies are welcome as always, and her one turn on pileup of genres. It’s also some of the most lead vocals (“Gracefully”) is so warmly affecting that listeners may joyfully energetic music you’ll ever hear. On ‘Thewish she steppedBig to thePink mic more often. isn’t Court Yard justHounds ably showing its fi fth album, the L.A.-based band stirs its demonstrates that, whether with their fellow Dixie Chick or without, blend of salsa, ska, samba, funk, and hip-hop these ladies’ talent runs deep. –Katie Dodd in ways few groups could conceive. Imagine Fire Away tossing the English Beat, Herb Alpert and the For a dozen years, the [Mercer Street/Downtown] Tijuana Brass, Caetano Veloso, and Sly and RUFUS arrangements on Rufus the Family Stone into a magical blender and off—it’s upliftingWainwright’s the albums masses.’got you get some sense of Ozomatli’s eclectic approach. High points WAINWRIGHT busier and his sometimes on their latest, Fire Away, include “Are You Ready?,” a horn-and- All Days Are Nights: Songs naughty, occasionally percussion-driven blast of salsa-fl avored ska; “Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah,” for Lulu angry declarations of gay an exultant Latin pop anthem fi tted with shrieking sax; and “Gay Vatos [Decca] pride got louder. Each in Love,” a rockabilly-tinged tune with a soaring chorus. Even when 70 MAY 2010 DECEMBER 2011 M MUSIC & MUSICIANS MAGAZINE M3_v10.indd 70 5/14/10 3:37 AM.