Kill Hannah - For Never & Ever
(Atlantic)
Garbage's eponymous debut was a classic exercise in how to make a great alternative album, combining, as it did, the best of Smashing Pumpkins, Veruka Salt, The Pixies, Joan Jett, Cheap Trick, et. al. Unfortunately, they shot their wad on their debut and everything they've done since has pretty much been shrug-your-shoulders forgettable, disposable crap. Enter Kill Hannah, whose lead singer/songwriter Mat Devine sounds, at times, more like Shirley Manson than Shirley does! Their major label debut is everything Garbage's second album should have been...and more! Let's call it Version 2.5.
Lead single, "Kennedy," which DOES feature an even better Manson impersonator in the wonderful Juliette Beavan (producer Sean's wife) is a raw, anthemic, big beat, funky monster which just might be the year's best single. And the spirit of Joan Jett hovers over both "10 More Minutes With You" and "Unwanted," just two of several anthemic, Blackhearts-styled fist-pumpers. In this day cookie-cutter copycat assholes slaughtering the airwaves, it's a relief to have something original to grab onto and, while Kill Hannah is certainly derivative, no one has combined the best ingredients of each of the acts mentioned into a totally new sound the way they do. For that we should all be eternally grateful.
"From Now On," and, particularly, "Raining All The Time" are the type of arms-swaying-in-the-air, new school, teenybopper punk stompers that'll have the Good Charlotte and Something Corporate fans creaming in their jeans for more. The synthy backbone of "Race The Dream" supports a fine new entry in the mid-90s glam revival scene that brought us bands like Nancy Boy, Spacehog, Suede, Babylon Zoo, et. al., and that glittery, glammy wall-of-sound production by Sean Beavan, whose credits range from heavy metal (Pantera, Megadeath, Slayer) to industrial (Nine Inch Nails) to downright silly (Marilyn Manson, No Doubt) permeates the album.
While longtime fans have been bemoaning the fact that this is merely a collection of rehashed, older tunes re-recorded for "the big time," those of us new to the band will appreciate it for what it is: one of the best alternative rock albums of the year. Let's hope a follow-up with all-new tunes from their current tour (I hear their live shows are killers) is just around the corner. Until then, enjoy!
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