rebelgrrl's Full Review: Nemesisters by Babes in Toyland
Babes in Toyland: Kat Bjelland, Maureen Herman, and Lori Barbero.....ahh. There are so many reasons why I thoroughly enjoy this CD. For those of you who are not familiar with the music, Babes in Toyland is a chick band that is anything BUT a "chick band." They're a hardcore trio of riot, the wonderful harmony of anarchy, the epitome of grrl. Their music ranges from soft to screamy, as most girl bands in this genre do, but Babes in Toyland do it with such flair that it all flows in one direction.
The extremely talented women in this band can do it all. I could go through and tell what I like about each individual track, but I'll spare the reader. With Kat on guitar and vocals, Maureen on bass and vocals, and Lori on drums and...yep, vocals, every single track has something new and different to offer. A lot of them start out sweetly and turn into fits. "Ariel" is probably the prettiest track on the album, soft and absolutely beautiful. "22" is the same way. The opening track, "Hello" is the perfect song to ease you into the rest of the CD.
"Nemesisters" flows consistently...until it gets to the end. The third to the last track is "All By Myself," and it's kind of a lazy, noisy, interesting cover. I like it, but it does stop the flowiness for a little while. Then the pace slows down for "Deep Song." I always skip that track and the last one. The last one is a bouncy, sing-songy cover of "We Are Family." It's done well, and it's good to listen to once in a while, but it gets old pretty fast. Maybe it's just because I don't like the pop...ness of it.
As far as harmony and actual musical talent go, Babes in Toyland is one of the best girl bands out there. The fact that they combine this with raw riot grrl attitude makes it all the more impressive. This album was released in 1995, and they haven't put anything out since, so pick it up. If you're not convinced enough, here's a link to probably the most comprehensive Babes in Toyland page out there, so listen to the sound clips: http://www.angelfire.com/on/realeyes/big.html
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