Mother!
Maria Brink has always been a mesmerising live presence, a heady mix of Courtney Love, Lady Gaga and Marilyn Manson topped off with her own unique vision, that has rarely been captured on record in all its glory. However, there is a rawness to Mother that gets closer than anything since Blood and succeeds in doing justice to what the band are capable of without the watering-down process of studio recording getting in the way. That’s not to say that this is some kind of garage jam though, far from it, and indeed it is possibly their most creative and adventurous record yet.
Conceptually there is a strong religious motif interwoven with themes of the feminine, fertility and motherhood. Mother nature, Mother Mary and literal motherhood come together to create a narrative that brings to mind both Darren Aronofsky’s film of the same title and the scarlet women of the Handmaid’s Tale.
Musically, the album has huge scope and ambition both in it’s range from it’s full out screaming to moments that are hymnal and ethereal. Not to mention a cover of We Will Rock You featuring Taylor Momsen and Lzzy Hale that is far better than it has any right to be.
Easily their strongest outing for some time this album should delight existing fans and anyone who likes some effort and extravagance in their rock and roll.
And besides, any album that ends by paying homage to Mazzy Star can only be good.
ARTIST: In This Moment
TITLE: Mother
MOOD: Bloody Mary
TOP TRACKS: Hunting Grounds, Lay Me Down, The In-Between
Welcome to the new starting line.
Poppy’s evolution from uncanny valley arthouse fembot to industrial metal angst machine reads more like a Black Mirror pitch than your standard celebrity gossip. Following her split from partner and puppet master Titanic Sinclair the inference is that this is now the ‘real’ Poppy. The raw, angry poppy. The Poppy that won’t take that shit anymore. How much this is the case and how much this is another alter ego in the Poppy funhouse hall of mirrors is anyone’s guess, but it’s certainly a stark departure from the bubblegum, satire drenched electro-pop she made her name with.
Musically this album might not be quite ‘post-genre’ as it claims but it’s certainly a crazy riot of sub-genres encompassing everything from deathcore to drum and bass and stompy goth. On the whole it works but it does feel at times like someone trying on a few different outfits to see which one they like best then deciding just to wear them all at once. Individually the tracks are exhilarating but as a whole it can become a little exhausting. There is a playfulness about the rebelliousness of it all, lyrically, sonically and visually, but there is definitely a sense that we are meant to take it seriously too and I think it’s saved ultimately by being neither too ironic or too self important.
More than anything this feels like a stepping stone, albeit a mostly successful one, and It will be interesting to see where she will go from here – will she commit to this riotous sound or will there be a whole new Poppy around the corner for us next time?
ARTIST: Poppy
TITLE: I Disagree
MOOD: Some girls just want to watch the world burn
STANDOUT TRACKS: I Disagree, Boodmoney, Fill the Crown, Bite Your Teeth