Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern

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4...according to our Business Lady on Fri 15 Oct, 2010.

I'm probably the wrong person to review this. I've not really paid much attention to the work of Marnie Stern in the past. Brett's the big Marnie Stern fan in the office but he's off today so you're stuck with me...soz lads. Anyway, Marnie Stern obviously kicks ass. Her playing technique totally shreds and her voice is both confident and heartfelt. With a grasp on both ballads and full on rock outs Stern pretty much has all bases covered in the whole dynamic, progressive rock field. On this simply S/T titled effort (as opposed to 'This Is It And I Am It And You Are It And So Is That And He Is It And She Is It And It Is It And That Is That') Marnie is joined by long time collaborator Zach Hill (I thought they'd had a proper love bust up but that's obviously been sorted out...water under the bridge down town etc...) as well a Women bassist Matthew Flegal. Now, as I mentioned before I'm not familiar with her other LP's but to me this sounds very much like a mid period Hella record (when they evolved into a full on band as opposed to a two piece) but with better (and cuter) vocals and more consistency from track to track. Much like Hella's records this S/T jobby is a technicolour dream filled with charisma, bustling with confidence and cram packed with banging riffage. She's got serious manual dexterity has this young lady. Total respect.

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From ballads to her signature pop guitar-tapping style, Stern and long-time co-conspirator Zach Hill have churned out one massively mind-blowing album that will further cement Stern as a rising star in today’s progressive music landscape. Stern also enlists the bass talents of psych-rock Canadian musician Matthew Flegel (of the band Women) and up-and-coming mixer Lars Stalfors (Mars Volta, Funeral Party) resulting in Stern stepping up her sonic game and revealing a mature and more
focused side of herself. You will find both the artist and the album to be brighter, louder, more intense and bustling with confidence as the end result.

Stern’s previous efforts garnered much critical acclaim, from the likes of Pitchfork, New York Times, Time Out, NME and Uncut, highlighting Stern’s dexterity with both guitar playing and
songwriting. Three albums into her career, this certainly leaves her exposed. Yet, within that exposure, we find something more relatable and familiar to us all: vulnerability and resilience. And with this collection of songs, all you hear is…”Marnie Stern”…which is destined for greatness.

“…arty, feminine guitar-rock that infiltrated Guyville without a mission statement…Stern has it-- a charisma and technique that already distinguishes her as pure Technicolor in a glutted, black-and-white scene.” – Pitchfork

“The woman who made shredding acceptable to a generation of hipsters, Stern kind of comes across like Eddie Van Halen’s conflicted lovechild, a chatty Valley Girl-alike throwing out weirdy whips of finger-tapped sound.” – NME

TRACKLISTING:

1. For Ash 2. Nothing Left 3. Transparency is the New Mystery 4. Risky Biz 5. Female Guitar Players are the New Black 6. Gimme 7. Cinco De Mayo 8. Building a Body 9. Her Confidence 10. The Things You Notice

5...according to John Bloor.

I came to Marnie Stern by first seeing her live, then buying her music. This is an unusual approach for me, I’m rarely moved so much by seeing an artist that I also haven’t already checked out that I immediately walk away with music.

This new Marnie Stern self-title LP kicks off in an anthemic way. Start stop drums and guitar, sweeter vocals than I remember and some interesting textural droning guitar build up and decay. Immediately I sense it’s really beautifully constructed.

Second song, great riff! Great beat and guitar collision going on. Explosive drum hits, and guitar runs. Her vocals sound almost Asian, upper register and in that sing-song manner. I absolutely love the muffled drum hits, they really do sound like cannons. This album reveals a slower, more mature, more considered approach to songs and their construction. In places, the songs break down into quieter passages. The guitar textures and vocals play against one another. And always the machine-gun like drums.

I can’t help but be impressed with the lovely, complex way the songs build from her trademark guitar phrases, this time into far more involving songs. This is excellent stuff. If you liked Marnie Stern before you’ll love this. It makes me feel quite euphoric and liberated in the way only slightly crazy, out of control music can.

So, what do you think? Best reviewer each month gets £10 off their next order!