Auf Der Maur - 'Auf Der Maur' (EMI)
3/5
By: Toby L
One of the effective hype-jobs of 2004, inversely to common-practice, more's known about Auf Der Maur than of the product concerned. Those facts again: a new rock start-up on a major-label; featuring Melissa Auf Der Maur of prior Hole/Smashing Pumpkins bass-duties in her debut front-woman/songwriting-role; and guest-collaborators/production reigning from the likes of Chris Goss, James Iha of the 'Pumpkins and Josh Homme of QOTSA.
Impressive, indubitably. But if we've learnt anything from the likes of 'super-groups' or big-name aids in our time, it's that efforts usually collectively lead to a big mound of steaming, 'creative' diarrhoea - concept over content, luvvie... now where's the coke?
So what went wrong with Auf Der Maur? Or, rather, right? For, finally, we have an artist that defies the previous clichι. Though lacking an air of the landmark about it, her debut, eponymous LP is a flourishing, melodic and immediately palatable barrage of darkly spiced modern-rock odes, each confidently revolving on the confessedly twee, drama-laden themes of love and loss and relentless, obsessive-compulsive desire.
Lyrically, it's a rock-critic's dream - enough shamelessly overt statements and radically naive declarations that The Cheeky Girls would raise a knowing butt-cheek to. For, on the platter, is a song actually called 'Beast Of Honor' (ahem), while a track before the aforementioned is even frank enough to utter, 'I will taste you/I've got a big mouth'. Right you are then.
But, merriment aside, and this is otherwise a far-from-elementary inauguration to the alt major-league. 'Lightning Is My Girl' works explicitly well as the moody opener, beginning as it does with shady, wailing guitars before descending into a mystifying, mid-pace and hook-based growler, Auf Der Maur herself purring the track's sentiments to curiously intimate effect. And, well, the remaining eleven tracks are similarly cocky enough to then take on this guise themselves, seldom straying (save from the chipper bounce of 'I'll Be Anything You Want', ballad-y 'Would If I Could', and stark piano grace of 'Overpower Thee', with bum vocal-notes and all), each equally high on sass, smut and sleaze; ponder if you will a US Queen Adreena if they'd lost all their drug-dealers' phone-numbers and torn stockings.
Lovers of the tune: rejoice; fans of moderately heavy and soulful guitar-grunting: swoon; and female-adorers the world over - dampen undergarments in a messy unison. A true pleasure meeting, Melissa; a true pleasure.
Artists in this article: Auf Der Maur
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