Review - Katastrophy Wife



Katastrophy Wife
Amusia

Patti Smith and Chrissie Hynde may be the grandmothers of riot grrrl. But if riot grrrl had that really cool kickass aunt that always gives you the best birthday and christmas presents and lets you stay the night and watch the coolest movies and never tell your parents, then that aunt would be Kat Bjelland. You may remember Kat as the kinderwhore banshee from Babes in Toyland or the doppelganger of Courtney Love in the early to mid-ninties. These days Kat spends her time with her husband Glen Mattson, new baby boy Henry and new band Katastrophy Wife. Kat’s vocals and guitar are backed by husband Glen on drums and Keith St. Louis on bass. The lyrics are everything you would expect from Kat ~ bitter, passionate and powerful in a fairie tale rhyming sing-songy spiral into darkness. There are some obvious references to Courtney Love in “Gone Away” and “Git Go”, but this album has nothing to do with Courtney. This is pure Kat. This album offers so much of what is missing in current music – pure angst and originality. This is music with an OPINION – an interesting concept that really hasn’t seen the light of day since 1995. The music is a little smoother than that of Kat’s “Babes in Toyland” days. And with that clear coat of shine something is lost – Lori Barbero’s drumming is really missed. This album is no “Fontanelle”. But it is a good alternative. After listening to this refreshing album expect dreams of sugarplums and razorblades.

5 out of 5 Lollipops!

Note: Unfortunately this album is only released in the UK. The easiest way to get it is through www.amazon.co.uk with shipping and handling it only cost me $18.50. That’s only a dollar more than it would cost you to buy a shitty cd at the mall cd store. Trust me ~ it’s a really good investment!!!!




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