From The OC, comes Civet. Nice nod to the old school on the debut Hellcat release from this all-female quartet. It's got Tim Armstrong's fingerprints on it, but that's by no means a detraction. What strikes me is the way that each instrument is so very prominent on this release. I'll say it's well-produced, but it's more than that. There is a pulsating nature to the drumming, grinding sound to the guitar and a clear and dominant bass line that you often don't get on some records. I've been thinking a lot lately about percussion, since I heard the news about Travis Barker. Love or hate Blink, he's one of the best drummers in the world. Along with Josh Freese, Travis is the high water mark in punk drumming. This record features great work from Danni Harrowyn. The drums remind me of a bit of an industrial sound with a bit more machine gun repetition, it's not "over done" as it does blend in well with everything else going on on each track. It's just that it's a bit remarkable. Vocally, this is strong female led punk with some Runaways like rock anthemic pieces thrown in for good measure. Liza Graves has a unique voice. It would be easy to describe her and compare to her punk peers (I'm sure that's happening), but I find it easier to hear the growling as more close to Wendy O. Williams or better yet, Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy. Sure, totally different genres, but incredibly strong death metal-esque vocals. This is pretty straight-ahead punk. Standout tracks include "Gin and Tonic", "Alibis" and "Pay Up". I've listened to this about four times and it does get better with each listen and I start to find myself appreciating the maturity. Maybe that's surprising as based on the packaging and pics on the record, I probably didn't expect this to be so heavy, so vicious and so furious. It's all of those things. So, if you like your punk dirty, best heard in a bar and Motorhead inspired...Civet is for you!
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