Comparing Patience Hodgson to Karen O is inevitable. And that’s OK.
But please, be careful how you manage that tricky territory.
Hodgson shares some vocal leanings with O – that freak-out high-range alto that can be as spastic as an unmanned firehose and as carefully seductive as a ’40s burlesque simultaneously.
But Hodgson, lead singer for The Grates, has something on O, lead singer for Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It’s the raw enthusiasm associated with artistic creation, songwriting and getting resourceful in the recording studio.
O was once the queen of such personality traits. She was excited and ready. But with the arrival of her band’s major-label deal, her music has since shared a flatness that makes it clear that this is work, no longer play.
The Grates, an Australian trio whose indie-pop tour de force, “Gravity Won’t Get You High,” was released a week ago, aren’t about to forget the fun of making music. The record seems as if it’s about to fly off the hinge at any moment, largely because of
Hodgson’s manic energy and impassioned delivery.
She’s got a message. And she’s not going to relent until you hear it.
The band takes no prisoners in “Science Is Golden,” one of the record’s leading candidates for college radio. It bounces back and forth between the rich, if simple, instrumentation – but riding the crest of the wave is Hodgson, who spins an absurd but infectious tale of madness.
“Sukkafish” is the standout album track, the surprise song that marries Hodgson’s unhinged voice to a playful banjo. It sounds as if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs met the Dust Brothers and Decemberists in a forest and came out a unique entity, one that demanded repeat listens and full attention.
The heavier garage- and original ska-influenced “19 20 20” has the band sounding more like your typical buzz band circa 2006. It’s simplistic and hooky – not that there’s anything wrong with that.
While The Grates miss on a couple songs – including the pop whiff “Lies Are Much More Fun” and the even less interesting “I Am Siam” – the majority of this record deserves great praise and wider acknowledgment. The Pat Benatar-influenced strains of “Feels Like Pain” sounds as if it could have been an actual outtake from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ most recent record. “Nothing Sir” is like a brighter, more diverse Dresden Dolls.
But package it all together with a giraffe on the CD’s cover and you have one of the year’s strongest albums to date. It’s a record that will undoubtedly mark 2006 as an excellent year for music, one where people still cared about the basics of making music and making fun.
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
