New York Dolls - 'Cause I Sez So

New York Dolls
‘Cause I Sez So
5/05/09
Atco
www.nydolls.org

One Day it Will Please Us to Remember Even This proved to be one of the best reunion albums of the decade, however, its follow-up sounds more like what you would have expected from a band recording their first studio album in more than three decades with only two original members. While the sounds found on ‘Cause I Sez So are unmistakably still The Dolls, the charm of their crass brand of sass has been polished out. The album’s best tracks sound like outtakes from ODIWPUTRET, but much of the release sounds along the lines of The Dolls as a Vegas lounge act, and certain numbers even have the band sounding like they’re ready to take their place among the dinosaurs of rock and suit up for a summer of state fairs alongside ZZ Top. Izzy Cihak

The Coathangers - Scramble

The Coathangers
Scramble
4/07/09
Suicide Squeeze Records
www.thecoathangers.com

…And with the release of The Coathangers’ Scramble, the term “Post Riot Grrrl” must be fully recognized as a genre… and a genre that is as wonderfully brassy and sassy as that which birthed it. On their sophomore effort the four post(er) grrrls from Atlanta revisit that lovely sound that so many of our heroines of a former era have spent the past few years ignoring, in lieu of dance punk. There’s a girl group-inspired ditty about a boy who loves his whiskey (“Dreamboat”), phat honkey dub beats (“Bobby Knows Best”), plenty of brat-tastic anthems of juvenile discontent (“Stop Stomp Stompin’,” “Bury Me,” “143”), and… of course, an ode to vaginas everywhere (“Pussywillow”). Izzy Cihak

Gliss @ The Khyber

Gliss
@ The Khyber
5/05/09
www.myspace.com/gliss

Within minutes, the band managed to clear a room of part-time pop punkers and produce something resembling a lonely night at Andy Warhol’s Factory. Lean bodies in striped shirts swayed with reckless abandon to the morbidly chic sound of LA’s Gliss. With their electronics jacked the previous day in Jersey, the band’s set tended toward the lo-fi portion of their catalogue. Without their signature gloom pop that falls somewhere between Placebo and Kill Hannah, Gliss sounded more like the Dandy Warhols as a tribute to The Cure. The majority of the performance was comprised of tracks from their latest release, Devotion Implosion, highlighted by older material, such as the elegant sass of “Blue Sky” and the dark, erotic drones of “Kick in Your Heart.” Unfortunately, the band’s stage presence lacked the swagger of their sound, yet that could be chalked up to the previous day’s occurrences in New Jersey… or just having to have been in New Jersey. Izzy Cihak

Living Things @ Johnny Brenda's

Living Things
@ Johnny Brenda’s
4/30/09
livingthingsmusic.com

With a mirror ball spinning overhead, a rail-thin Rock’N’Roll diva resembling Nancy Spungen’s pimp makes his way through the audience of Johnny Brenda’s, screaming “Where do all the dead boys go?” while coyly confronting panicked hipsters trying desperately not to spill their microbrews. After a few years off the radar, St. Louis’ Living Things are back to show the nation’s indie clubs that rock stars aren’t a thing of the past. Although the “radical”ness of their politics will likely remain forever in quotes, their new tunes are more suitable for kicking out jams than ever. The infectious synthetic groove of “Mercedes Marxist” could shake the asses of politicians and scenesters alike, “Snake Oil Man” set a folk protest song to a clap-along funk beat, and perfectly anthemic “Brass Knuckles” confronted the audience like a brick through the windshields of their hybrids. Living Things’ brand of garage rock, as soulful as it is riotous, hailed over the Philadelphia audience as ineffably chic frontman Lillian Berlin brilliantly shimmied across the stage like Dylan Thomas Stardust. Izzy Cihak