Her debut, ‘Auf Der Maur’, predictably has a celebrity guestlist the size of the Domesday Book (Hole’s Eric Erlandson, Mark Lanegan, James Iha, Josh Homme, etc. ad infinitum) but it actually sounds very little like the work of either of her past bands. Instead, behind the admittedly pile-driving riffs is a truckload of rock posturing and the odd gurgley croak from Danny Cradle Of Filth (possibly). Comedy it may occasionally be, but after a couple of listens the hooks really start to sink in and the whole picture becomes much more vivid.
The opening trio of tracks are the most convincing. The wonderfully-titled ‘Lightning Is My Girl’ oozes off-kilter intensity, while ‘Followed The Waves’ and ‘Real A Lie’ reinterpret Queens Of The Stone Age and Tranvision Vamp into something strangely invigorating. The lyrics come in only two tiers: the knowingly silly and the unintentionally hilarious, with the first lines of ‘Beast Of Honour’ (“I’m a taste test at the beast-fest/Got your crest on my breast”) providing a good taste of the countless awkward couplets that litter the album. But everything is done with the wink of an eye that is far subtler and more inticing than The Darkness’ blatant send up.
For all its celebrity tricks and years of pipeline evolution, ‘Auf Der Maur’ still has all the hallmarks of the debut record. It has the great songs that have been collected over years in the bedroom and on the road, the bad ideas that will be eeked out the next time around and even the silly hidden track to end all silly hidden tracks – Grandma Auf Der Maur yodelling proudly out of tune at her cheering family.
Melissa Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur
I actually kinda wonder if this is what QOTSA would have sounded like if Josh Homme had been born Janet
(OK, so pretty much all of Queens and Kyuss played on it)
Melissa Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur
AUF DER MAUR – ‘Auf der Maur’ (EMI)
If ever an album sleeve encapsulated the sound of an album it’s this. Whilst Courtney Love has chosen a caricature and the irony of ‘America’s Sweetheart’ to herald her return, her former HOLE bandmate Melissa Auf der Maur has opted for a more direct approach. Melissa stands in full rock pose, silhouetted, looking every inch the rock god(dess), with AUF DER MAUR proudly emblazoned across the sleeve. Sure the creative process may well have been aided by some of her very influential friends (Josh Homme, James Iha, Brant Bjork to name three) but make no mistake, this is Melissa’s album and she takes full advantage of the opportunity to bring this labour of love to fruition, and to step to the front of the band.
What’s on offer here is a far more focused, cohesive and…dare I say it…melodic collection of songs than her past might give leave to expect. Less ‘riot’ and more girl, as opposed to grrrl! Melissa’s voice is a revelation, and the key element in lifting these songs to a new level. Not abrasive like Courtney or shrill like Inge Lorre, Melissa’s vocals are deeper, softer and used to best effect when multiplied into vast layers of harmonies, used to full effect several times throughout the album by producer and former MASTER OF REALITY Chris Goss. The closest she gets to her former HOLE bandmate is the opening banshee wail of second song and first single ‘Followed The Waves’, but even this soon morphs into some gorgeous harmonies before guitars come crashing in to give pretty much the only hint on the album of her stint in the SMASHING PUMPKINS. Oh yeah, and it ends with the sort of powerchords that the electric guitar was designed for. Feel your walls shake! Immense!
Elsewhere ‘Real A Lie’ picks up the pace and has one of the most infectious choruses on the album, though it has close competition from ‘Taste You’. ‘Beast of Honor’ gives a partial nod in the direction of Courtney but once more Melissa raises the quality with another trademark chorus. The mellow point of the album is provided by ‘Overpower Thee’ where Melissa feigns frailty in her voice while singing “I could easily overpower you”, and when ‘Skin Receiver’ follows with it’s ‘Immigrant Song’ type rhythm it’s not hard to believe her. The album closes with ‘I Need I Want I will’ and Melissa narrating through the song Patti Smith-like before those harmonies come back in again to close the album and seduce you into hitting the play button again. The quality of songs and thesound on offer here is quite breathtaking.
So while the bitch may be back, so is Melissa! No question which one will be grabbing the headlines, but then no question about which one has brought the best set of songs to the table either. On the basis of this record Melissa Auf der Maur more than deserves her 15 minutes of fame and quite possibly much more.
Auf der Maur – Does exactly what it says on the tin.
Re: Melissa Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur
Re: Melissa Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur
Auf Der Maur - Auf Der Maur
This album sounds great, tracks like "Followed The Waves", "Taste You", "Real A Lie", "Skin Receiver" and "Overpower Thee" just gel so well together. PLus, the album, once listened to a few times becomes a total sing/hum along record.
Listen to her version of "Devil's Plaything" she did with Karen Elson...wow!