Most artists wait until the twilight of their career to invite their friends round for a good old jamming session, and then use the subsequent recordings to boost what is usually an ailing career. You know who you are. But when the artist in question is Melissa Auf Der Maur, a modern day musical Mowgly, raised by rock instead of wolves, and the friends are some Queens, a Pumpkin and some desert degenerates, reading like one fucked up pantomime cast, you know convention ain’t welcome here. Debut albums don’t come any more prestigious than this. As self professed captain with Josh Homme and QOTSA producer Chris Goss as first and second mates, welcome to the better looking, city slicking brother of the Desert Sessions. Josh ‘the man with the coyote call’ Homme has stamped his mark on the album, but is still upstaged by the all singing all dancing Melissa. No chance of mutiny here.
After an illustrious musical past, carbon copying the epic, yet pained garbling sound of the Pumpkins would be a cop out, instead Melissa’s pangs for her own sound, spurred by a desire of unstructured freedom, leaves the album dripping with a sensuality and longing, overpowering the machismo that the album oozes. The female touch eh. And the best thing so far is, not a Zwan moment in sight. Still, this is a rock album after all, and for all the whispering melody that caress the songs into life, the rhythm and power still remains. The transition from bassist to front woman for Melissa on this offering poses no problems. Who says you need the 40-a day rasp coined by Love and more recently Dalle to be successful?
First single ‘Followed The Waves’ starts with a banshee howl that leads into the cold, calculated melody before crashing into the main riff. Probably the simplest song on the album musically, there is unlikely to be a more enthralling introduction to a song than this for sometime. As a choice for first single, she couldn’t be more on the pulse. ‘Followed The Waves’ is as strong an indication of the albums quality as it is of Melissa’s intent. ‘Real A Lie’ sees Melissa’s voice at its most schoolgirl innocent, adding purity to the piercing pincer movement of the guitars whereas ‘My Foggy Notion’ takes the same formulaic pummel evident throughout the album but has a filthy edge. The stop start shudder of ‘I’ll Be Anything You Want’ sees drug stunted guitar rhythms a la QOTSA allow Melissa to beg plead and scream. Closing track ‘I Need, I Want, I Will’ serves up a cameo from Homme and pits robotic vocals against a chilling musical backdrop that doesn’t waiver and leaves the room feeling cold and filled with presence.
Although the thesis of the album is one of anti thesis, here we have an artist who strives to be a free spirit, but whose education was one based on convention. With as much strength in depth it’s at times the variation that restricts its undoubted potential. Its strongest moments come when the music is stripped down to ragged riffs and when the chorus soar, but when you’ve been given a creative license, experimentation is understandable.