Colleen Green
So what was I saying earlier about a tsunami of albums stretching my credit card to the limit?
I first clapped eyes and ears on Colleen Green when - armed with only a guitar and drum machine - she opened for La Sera at the Echo last year. She created such a melodic wall of fuzzy lo-fi guitar fuelled indie-pop that after the gig all I could do was mumble a few incoherent words and eagerly snaffle the lonely copy of her album "Sock It to Me" that nestled forlornly on the edge of the Merchandising table...
When Colleen's new album "I Want to Grow Up" dropped last month I didn't even have to listen to it throughout to know that here was an album that was going to be added to my collection, especially when Colleen and her label Hardly Arts teased us with "Pay Attention" - the perfect anthem for the ADHD generation - a near-three minute inspired indie-pop blast of jangling guitars over a layer of grungy fuzz.
Apparently the album sees Colleen drop the one-woman DIY-ethos of "Sock It to me" for a 'full band' and a little research suggest that this is Jake Orrall of JEFF the Brotherhood and Casey Weissbuch from Diarrhea Planet (my spellchecker's OCD really objected here!) However, it's still really just Colleen's vocals and guitar - but this time with added drum, bass and yet more guitar - she's still writing and singing indispensable indie-pop songs about love (invariably with the 'wrong' guy), growing old and what she is going to make of her life (I suspect the clue is in the title...)
The album opens with the title track - Colleen staring in the mirror at herself lamenting that she really needs and wants to 'grow up' - could it be the impending dread of hitting the big three-oh (been there, seen it, done it, no longer fit the T-shirt) - as over a gorgeous riff of fuzzy guitars she explains all the reasons 'why' seems such a good idea ("sick and tired of being dumb" seems to be the main reason). Of course, over the course of the song, nothing gets resolved, save for the fact that Colleen hasn't lost the knack of knocking out memorable guitar-fuelled hooks.... A case in-point being the very next track, "Wild one" - with it's surf-pop inspired hooks - and a wry tale of being in love with and trying to break-up with the aforementioned wrong guy - nobody does melancholy as rhythmically and up-beat as Colleen does.
"TV" is classic 'slacker' rock - a genre that Colleen has off to pat - and a song that effortless conveys the vacuous yet insidious nature of US TV... "TV is my friend, it has always been there for me, in time of need..." And yes, there's another effortless throwaway hook to add to the mix.
There are some great straight-up pop tunes on this album; "Some people" is another classic vignette that highlights Colleen Green's wry observational skills. The lyrics are deliciously sarcastic as Colleen neatly trashes the disinterested object of her desire. Meanwhile,"Grind my teeth" kicks-off with 100 mph guitar and drums - it's arguably the closest thing to her "Sock it to Me" sound, but then about halfway through it just morphs into a gorgeous slower jam, while the album's closer "Whatever I want" sees a triumphant return of the drum machine and another slice of effortless west coast indie-pop, resplendent with reverbed-guitar.
However, there are two (three?) inspired gems on this album which I'd argue ably demonstrate that Colleen has more than grown-up. "Things that are bad for me (Parts 1 and 2)" is a great double act and neatly encapsulates the album's twin conflicts. Part 1 is up-beat and features a great chugging guitar backdrop as Colleen returns to the themes of getting her shit together and doing the things that will get her back on track, which as it segues seamlessly into Part 2 - heavier, darker, er 'grungier' (there's a noticeable change in chord and tone) - as things don't quite go to plan ("I want to do drugs right now"). But it's the six-odd minutes worth of "Deeper than love" that is worth the album's admission price. The drum machine is back with a vengeance - creating a hypnotic 80's new wave beat - Colleen's voice never really raises above a whisper, however it's the sharp and shocking intimacy of the lyrics that strikes home.
I first clapped eyes and ears on Colleen Green when - armed with only a guitar and drum machine - she opened for La Sera at the Echo last year. She created such a melodic wall of fuzzy lo-fi guitar fuelled indie-pop that after the gig all I could do was mumble a few incoherent words and eagerly snaffle the lonely copy of her album "Sock It to Me" that nestled forlornly on the edge of the Merchandising table...
When Colleen's new album "I Want to Grow Up" dropped last month I didn't even have to listen to it throughout to know that here was an album that was going to be added to my collection, especially when Colleen and her label Hardly Arts teased us with "Pay Attention" - the perfect anthem for the ADHD generation - a near-three minute inspired indie-pop blast of jangling guitars over a layer of grungy fuzz.
Apparently the album sees Colleen drop the one-woman DIY-ethos of "Sock It to me" for a 'full band' and a little research suggest that this is Jake Orrall of JEFF the Brotherhood and Casey Weissbuch from Diarrhea Planet (my spellchecker's OCD really objected here!) However, it's still really just Colleen's vocals and guitar - but this time with added drum, bass and yet more guitar - she's still writing and singing indispensable indie-pop songs about love (invariably with the 'wrong' guy), growing old and what she is going to make of her life (I suspect the clue is in the title...)
The album opens with the title track - Colleen staring in the mirror at herself lamenting that she really needs and wants to 'grow up' - could it be the impending dread of hitting the big three-oh (been there, seen it, done it, no longer fit the T-shirt) - as over a gorgeous riff of fuzzy guitars she explains all the reasons 'why' seems such a good idea ("sick and tired of being dumb" seems to be the main reason). Of course, over the course of the song, nothing gets resolved, save for the fact that Colleen hasn't lost the knack of knocking out memorable guitar-fuelled hooks.... A case in-point being the very next track, "Wild one" - with it's surf-pop inspired hooks - and a wry tale of being in love with and trying to break-up with the aforementioned wrong guy - nobody does melancholy as rhythmically and up-beat as Colleen does.
"TV" is classic 'slacker' rock - a genre that Colleen has off to pat - and a song that effortless conveys the vacuous yet insidious nature of US TV... "TV is my friend, it has always been there for me, in time of need..." And yes, there's another effortless throwaway hook to add to the mix.
There are some great straight-up pop tunes on this album; "Some people" is another classic vignette that highlights Colleen Green's wry observational skills. The lyrics are deliciously sarcastic as Colleen neatly trashes the disinterested object of her desire. Meanwhile,"Grind my teeth" kicks-off with 100 mph guitar and drums - it's arguably the closest thing to her "Sock it to Me" sound, but then about halfway through it just morphs into a gorgeous slower jam, while the album's closer "Whatever I want" sees a triumphant return of the drum machine and another slice of effortless west coast indie-pop, resplendent with reverbed-guitar.
However, there are two (three?) inspired gems on this album which I'd argue ably demonstrate that Colleen has more than grown-up. "Things that are bad for me (Parts 1 and 2)" is a great double act and neatly encapsulates the album's twin conflicts. Part 1 is up-beat and features a great chugging guitar backdrop as Colleen returns to the themes of getting her shit together and doing the things that will get her back on track, which as it segues seamlessly into Part 2 - heavier, darker, er 'grungier' (there's a noticeable change in chord and tone) - as things don't quite go to plan ("I want to do drugs right now"). But it's the six-odd minutes worth of "Deeper than love" that is worth the album's admission price. The drum machine is back with a vengeance - creating a hypnotic 80's new wave beat - Colleen's voice never really raises above a whisper, however it's the sharp and shocking intimacy of the lyrics that strikes home.
"...Someday I hope for a lover to kill me
It's the closest I can hope to get to anybody
It's the closest I can come to being really free
And there's a ring of questions on my mind lately
Like will I find a love that lasts long as my life?
Or will I die before ever becoming a wife?
And I'm wondering if I'm even the marrying kind
How can I give you my life when I know you're just gonna die?"
For all her slacker persona, Colleen Green has always crafted keenly introspective lyrics. With "Deeper than love" she's probably written one of the most unnerving tracks released so far this year.
Her new album states "I want to grow up." I'd suggest that she already has...
Highly recommended!
Colleen Green "I Want to Grow Up" (Bandcamp), (Hardly Art), (iTunes)
Her new album states "I want to grow up." I'd suggest that she already has...
Highly recommended!
Colleen Green "I Want to Grow Up" (Bandcamp), (Hardly Art), (iTunes)
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