Those good old riot grrl groups of the mid 90s have all but faded from sight,
which is kind of a shame. Not that those old riot grrls ever really started
a decent riot, but most were capable of a hearty, grrly "Grrr." Now that grrl
led groups are less of a genre piece--appealing mostly to the legions dedicated to the
grrly movement--and now just fit into the general category of "independent music,"
you'd think the likelihood of an out and out riot was even further diminished.
Don't tell that to Tourettes Lautrec. Don't tell that to lead singer Traci
Woolley who with all her grrly might yells out in a high pitched grrly squeal
"Demolish! Demolish!," making the listener feel like if a riot doesn't break out
soon, he'll have to start one himself. Woolley's voice is like a highly irritated
Powerpuff Girl, or rather like Powerpuff Bubbles getting all "Bubblevicious."
She screams out her piercing sounds while the rest of the band (which includes both
boys and other grrls) create a noisy field of sound behind her, a merger of
Bis-style garage punk and Melt Banana-style japanoise.
Sounds from the band clash so beautifully that it's no surprise that fellow
San Diegan Jon Reis recorded part of the album, as the mish mash of noisy and
harsh sounds is similar to the sounds of Drive Like Jehu. Tourettes Lautrec
strives to be a bit more accessible though. Nothing here is hard edged enough
to irritate--sounds cut and slash, but they cut not like sharp shears but like
plastic scissors, like those used in kintergarden art projects.
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