Madder Rose
Panic On

The '90s rock scene was defined by the city of Seattle with its oversized flannel shirts, Sub Pop, and the so-called "grunge." The guitar distortions, powerful riffs, and the shouted existential angst of bands such as Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, not to mention the hugely popular Nirvana, whatever one's opinion on the movement, undoubtedly marked a musical era, overshadowing what had always been the American capital of experimentation and avant-garde: New York.

Even during those seemingly lean years, the Big Apple managed to produce quality bands, certainly much less famous than those almost all from the State of Washington, but that posed as more than a valid alternative to the "all-consuming" grunge. Among all these bands, one name cannot be overlooked: that of Madder Rose. Billy Coté, a gifted and eclectic guitarist and composer, along with Mary Lorson, guitarist and vocalist with a voice somewhere between Susanne Vega and Nico, were (they disbanded in 2000) the spearheads of the project that over about six years, from '93 to '99, released four excellently crafted works, with "Panic On," the second, ranking, in our humble opinion, among the best American pop/rock releases of the entire decade. The album, despite not enjoying the fame of other masterpieces of the period, is truly a minor masterpiece, poetic and rich in influences, with a sound that manages to be full-bodied and delicate at the same time, powerful, with flaming reverberations of "sonic youth," but with a delicate pop vein, not even too underground, running through it all.

In the first track, with Coté's sharp guitar as the main protagonist, "Sleep, Forever", many of the mentioned elements are already traceable, along with their more lively and rock 'n' roll soul. With "Car Song" the tone shifts, and one wonders for what inscrutable reasons, when mentioning the New York gotha, they are often forgotten, when, in my opinion, just a track like this, lyrical, disorienting, reminiscent of the best of the Sundays but with more vigor and substance, would suffice to secure them a prominent spot alongside Television. The sequence "Panic On", "What Holly Sees", "Almost Lost My Mind" further clarifies their "pop-oriented" attitude, but with a taste and melodies that have few equals in America during that period, with the leader's guitar solos adding even more luster. More energy, more unbridled guitars, with strong '70s reminiscences, are instead clearly noticeable in tracks like "Drop Bomb", "Black Eyed Town", and especially, "Ultra Anxiety (Teenage Style)" almost hard-rock. But where their very personal, certainly recognizable, sound synthesizes best is in tracks like "Day In, Day Out", "Foolish Ways", "Mad Dog" where the text's spleen is embraced and softened by the chiaroscuro harmonies, with an ability to blend contrasting elements reminiscent somewhat of bands like The Breeders.

Madder Rose may never be among the first names that come to mind when listing the essentials to understand the pop/rock musical evolution of the last three decades of the Big Apple; yet I am more and more convinced that ignoring them could mean not fully grasping one of the most lively and representative aspects of the soul of the great metropolis.