•
Rating: British journalists must have a label maker perpetually in hand, if it's true that every new band that emerges finds a pesky and sticky white label slapped on their heads.
Take these Noisettes, part of the new wave of British indie-rock: just the appearance of the beautiful black frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa was enough for everyone to immediately say, "Oooooh!!!... The new Skunk Anansie!!!" (when those from Skunk Anansie don’t even have the same brand of toothbrush). So, you may ask, what are the right references? Well, it’s simple: Yeah Yeah Yeahs (now Karen O is a good benchmark for Shingai), The White Stripes, Von Bondies, and all that garage rock soaked in blues, with an added not-bad soul attitude.
Live (I had the fortune to enjoy both their guitar outbursts and the allure and voice of Shinowa at the Muse concert in Bologna this year) they are a real force, and the drummer Jamie Morrison hits really hard. What are they missing, you ask? What many bands are missing: the singles.
Not that their debut should be thrown away, on the contrary. "Don’t Give Up" and "Scratch Your Name", strategically placed at the start, immediately get the behinds moving with a gust of notably dirty and violent garage, anticipating the raw pop of "The Count Of Monte Cristo". The new single "Sister Rosetta (Capture The Sprint)" works thanks to its throbbing bass and Shingai’s sensual interpretation, not to mention a biting guitar in the refrain. "Bridge To Canada" is perhaps the only one that might vaguely (vaguely, mind you!!!) remind you of Skin's former band ("Yes It’s Fucking Political" the reference track); "IWE", "Nothing To Dread", and "Mind The Gap" continue along the garage line, while "Cannot Even (Break Free)" is sung so well it could make "Miss Perfect" Norah Jones pale in comparison.
The pop of "Hierarchy" closes, bidding us farewell from a debut boasting positive qualities such as freshness, grit, and personality, but that doesn’t present absolute high-quality peaks. Until next time.
Loading comments slowly
