Divorce From: Glasgow, Scotland Living up to their name Glasgow noise mongers Divorce are a radical break from the 21st century music scene. Their new single is two blistering, mind numbing blasts of uncompromising, uncommercial and borderline unlistenable atonal punk. They resurrect Riot Grrrl, give it a good kicking and send it out into the world snarling and ready to bite any bearded folkies it happens to stumble across. If you like your music unchallenging, straightforward and ukulele strewn then this is unlikely to be for you my friend.
Lead track ‘Love Attack’ is a brash, in your face musical attack. The band beat seven kinds of brown stuff out of their instruments while lead screamer Sinead Young shreds her tonsils. It’s extreme, edgy and aggressive. When Sinead yells “I’ll sleep with you” it sounds more like a threat than an offer. The single’s second track (or b-side for those of you with more miles on the clock than you’d prefer to count) ‘Meating’ sounds like it’s been raised in a commune and force fed a diet of Crass, Huggy Bear and Flux of Pink Indians.
This is music that lives in its own parallel universe far from the mainstream, music that sounds like it was tailor made to order by the ghost of John Peel and for that it gets a thumbs up from me.
7.5/10
This article was originally written by the Devil for The 405 and is published with permission.
Matrimony From: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Australian punks Matrimony (not to be confused with the altogether smoother but still cool US duo Matrimony) were a fixture on the short lived and unrecorded underground Australian riot grrrl scene way back in the 90s. The Australian Riot Grrrl scene doesn't even warrant a mention on the Riot Grrrl wikipedia page and Matrimony aren't listed on the Wikipedia list of Riot Grrrl bands! As with many of their peers they left a limited legacy. One album on the brilliant Kill Rock Stars label and an uninformative myspace page is the sum total of their historical footprint.
But what an album, 'Kitty Finger', reminds me of why I loved the riot grrrl movement. It's in your face attitude and fuck you values are a refreshing antidote to the sanitised corporate rock music that pollutes the planet in the noughties. They just don't make music like this anymore. So much so that a few months ago a Riot Grrrl Collection was set up New York University's Fales Library and Special Collections.
With the world going to hell in a handcart we need a riot grrrl revival now more than ever. We need 2011 to be herald the arrival of a new renegade girl/boy hyper-nation. Is anyone out there listening? Go Try
MP3 - Matrimony - Prick This track is linked direct from the Kill Rock Stars website and is therefore already freely available so please don't claim breach of copyright
Divorce