|
|
|
|
|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
|
|
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
|
|
Rasputina
Frustration Plantation\r\n(Instinct Records)
By Matthew Smith
Rasputina’s self-described “cello rock” hardly had me bubbling with anticipation. Sounded awful pompous. Or worse, like a ready-made wet dream for the Celine Dion set.
What greeted me was none of that, but instead, beatific wisps of fragility juxtaposed against bombast. Loud or soft, Frustration Plantation mainly rocks like a bastard. It’s riot grrl with touches of classical, folk, and gallows humor.
Some songs, notably “High On Life,” blast pure metal. Others blend musical moods, from kewpie-doll cute to enchanting to flat-out funny. (“My Captivity By Savages” is a wickedly wry — and bloody — tale of a pioneer girl’s sexual awakening.)
Great as everything is, the mix kinda sucks. The vocals are hard to decipher, overpowered by the instrumentation as they are. A total drag, considering that the lyrics that you can make out are either funny or ingenious.
Frustration Plantation is still a fun, worthwhile little disc, and it may leave you, as it did me, eager to explore the band’s earlier work.
Email this Article...
