Last Year's Savage

Shilpa Ray (of New Jersey, later Brooklyn) is one crazy howler of a singer in something of a Janis Joplin role. She's formerly been in her band: Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers. This is a solo record, but it sounds the same. Yeah, something between Joplin and Blondie and Patti Smith, maybe. But also more atmospheric meandering voices, like Grace Sings Sludge. (She's worked closely with Nick Cave). This is another cool record, her sharp and puncy voice, an accordion and more soup of cool instrumentation... it has plenty of rockers and more contemplative material-- and I'm sorry to have put this review here, because it's covering up a mandill's head on the cover. FCC on 5 and 10. I recommend tracks 3 and 9, but you can't go too far wrong anywhere.

1 (4:59) *** Soft xylphones, evocative yowling, falls into soft lush squeezebox sounds. Slow, cool. Long "ooh ooh ooh"ing out.
2 (4:27) *** Midtempo, hard edge in center, really hits the corner and drives. Picks pack up... slinky and bluesy.
3 (2:39) ***** Starts out chirpy and fun (melodeon?)-- nice fast groove, good patter-hooks. Just a really terrific song that cuts its bluesy melody through five or six different segments, and keeps its momentum.
4 (2:31) **** Starts fast and stompy (bang-on-a-bucket drums) "goin' to hell". Back-up chorus enters. Pirate-y.
5 (3:39) [FCC: fuck] **** Slower, surfier and strummier... swaying.
6 (5:38) **** Fairly slow, drenched in squeezebox really slow. Jabby, punchy song, but meandering and relaxed.
7 (5:13) *** Repetitive rhythm, hypnotic in its repetitions... slow and dreamy and meandering...
8 (4:24) *** Really slow opener, hazy and atmospheric-- midtempo singing, and outro with spacey glissandos...
9 (3:01) ***** Folksy twang, fastier and gnarlier. Really gritty and driving-- cool cool track. Gets stompy and yelly. Wild!
10 (3:34) [FCC - shit (hard to hear, didn't see it til I read the lyrics) ** Midtempo, bluesy rhythm.
11 (4:55) *** "Don't look back". Bluesy dirge.