Release Date: June 7, 2011
Although the old adage goes, “girls are made of sugar, spice and everything nice,” The Coathangers are a different breed of girl. They’re all sharp edges dunked in a surf punk coating. All of which they boldly bare on their latest release, Larceny & Old Lace. Whether that translates into a good record is questionable.
The Atlanta-based, all-girl quintet crafts their songs with a collaborative spirit and aggressive voice. Each member sings, and a variety of instruments are used to create an odd mix of trippy rock and punk anthems. During more controlled moments their sound is interesting, but they lose appeal when cultivating chaos becomes the focus of the music; they scream and shout, but it’s rarely in key. Take the seventh track the album, “Johnny,” which is full of loathe and spite. Unfortunately, those feelings don’t translate into a good or cogent song. It’s just four voices decrying an asshole the listener could care less about. The lyrics “Johnny’s going to hell for what he did/The look in his eye was so redic/He didn’t learn his lessons well now he’s gonna go to hell,” fails to strike a chord or say anything interesting. The discordant guitar behind it and atonal, winy vocals only makes an empty song that much more grating.
That’s not to say they never find a tune on their album. When they get away from excessive decibels talent shines through.
“My Baby” is sung in a whisper, but backed by menacing guitar melodies that add another layer to the song. Also, ”Go Away,” a light and sugary track, is a tell-off that uses a quiet tone as opposed to screeching. It manages to use subtlety, and keeps the band’s dangerous tone without defaulting to off-putting screaming. The back and forth they do so well is also ripe for frenetic song crafting, and the band frequently takes advantage of it in their vocal performances. In “Chicken: 30” the quintet sings each syllable of the song’s title by bouncing it off each other. The content is gibberish, but the technique they use makes it appealing to the ear. When the band makes those odd and interesting choices they shine.
Unfortunately, the content is usually overshadowed by their atonal weakness and attitude. Aggression is fine and all, but it isn’t a substitute for good music. Subtlety, perspective, and variety are part of the many ingredients that make a good song. While those show up in bits and pieces in the album the majority of it sticks to the band’s established formula.
The Coathangers – Larceny & Old Lace Tracklist:
- “Hurricane”
- “Trailer Park Boneyard”
- “Go Away”
- “Sicker”
- “Call to Nothing”
- “Jaybird”
- “Johnny”
- “My Baby”
- “Chicken: 30”
- “Well Alright”
- “Tabbaco Rd.”
