Spinnerette – Spinnerette

What the fuck, Brody? Spinnerette and its accompanying self-titled debut are gonna enrage lots of people, myself included. Maybe they’re supposed to. Surely Brody Dalle is used to such an existence, having fronted the Distillers as well as married both Tim Armstrong and later Josh Homme. Such a life draws ire born just as much from jealousy as misunderstanding. If that’s not punk, nothing is. Interesting, then, that Dalle’s new project ”“ with former Distillers guitarist Tony Bradley (or Bevilacqua, whatever), famed drummer Jack Irons and Queens of the Stone Age bassist/guitarist/engineer Alain Johannes ”“ isn’t that punk rock at all. That is, it’s punk as an adjective but not as a genre of music. Spinnerette is one enormous monolith of a mid-tempo dance-rock album. Which is to say, most of the songs sound way too damn similar. Like, this-is-incredibly-boring similar. Like, even-Dalle-sounds-bored similar.The album is basically a massive “fuck you” to Distillers fans, but not a “fuck you” with a middle finger. No, more like a “fuck you” wherein Dalle greets you with an unwanted dildo up your ass and then gives you a reach-around happy ending. Sure, you might’ve enjoyed it but do you really want to admit it? Like I said, this is punk if there ever was. The problem is that while it’s punk to do what isn’t expected, it isn’t wanted either. It’s safe to imagine that most everyone anticipated a new project involving Dalle to have some semblance of her former work. But besides her leathery rasp, there is nothing similar in any way. The guitars are lifelessly cold and processed, the drums thud and clatter, and the bass has no relevance. It’s infuriating. It’s infuriating because Dalle, and all of her companions, are better than this. Even Dalle herself states early on, “Don’t say that you aim to please.” Dalle is addressing love, but she may as well be talking to her reflection with her longtime fans in mind. The album is simply a collection of truly uninspired rubbish. Few hooks stick, even fewer of them matter. It’s a tragedy.Not every song fails completely, though. ‘Baptized By Fire’ is one of the few songs with an actual hook or anything memorable about it. A slower track, it’s got an electronica/urban pop vibe (!), especially during the chorus which could easily be in a Katy Perry single. Take that how you will. ‘All Babes Are Wolves,’ is the only song here demonstrating that Dalle can still ride a simple groove for two minutes and just rock out. There is a glimmer light at the end of the tunnel, after all. Then there’s ‘Sex Bomb,’ perhaps the oddest track here: It’s a staccato-based baroque pop song filtered through shoegaze. And the lyrics describe Dalle’s desire to find a lover whom she can call “daddy.”The other positive note here is the fact that Dalle’s lyricism (thankfully) still has talons. Take this gem from ‘Geeking,’ for instance: “You and I got a reason to live/ And now I’m drunk, I don’t know what it is/ Is it etiquette? No one gives a shit but me/ I’m on my own.” She’s the same cynic that sang ‘City of Angels.’ She’s just more laid back now. Or lazy.If it was indeed Spinnerette’s intention to release an exceptionally maddening listen, then it succeeded well beyond its objective. If it was Spinnerette’s intention to release a meaningful collection of songs, then it failed wretchedly. And that’s a shame given the talent that lies within the group. Here’s to hoping this is just a phase. 60%Spinnerette on Myspace