Review: Grass Widow - Past Time
August 25th, 2010
Grass Widow Past Time [Kill Rock Stars]
Need to know: The name Grass Widow is a reference to a woman whose husband is away at sea (it’s from the 17th century, of course). One bar of music though and it’s quite clear that this San Francisco trio have clearly been influenced by late ‘70s post-punk acts like Delta 5 and Kleenex, the early ‘90s Riot Grrl movement and the various artists that have come and gone on their new label, Kill Rock Stars. (They also cite ‘60s bands like The Kinks and The Move as inspiration.) Formed in 2007, Hannah Lew (bassist/vocalist), Lillian Maring (drummer/vocalist) and Raven Mahon (guitarist/vocalist) wasted little time writing their “very personal and often dark” songs, releasing both a full-length on Make A Mess Records and a four-song 12” on Captured Tracks last year. What’s perhaps most cool about Grass Widow is how the band is all about equality, putting no particular focus on any member or instrument, sharing songwriting and singing duties between the three of them. Says the band: “We want to thrive in our scene as musicians, with a focus on our musicianship first, not our gender. Our goal is to normalize the role of gender in our craft and have an avenue to express our intelligence and our love of music. We acknowledge that movements of the past created by or affecting women in the art and music worlds are hugely influential, but there is potential for the original sentiments to lose potency if the meaning is misinterpreted or not redesigned for a modern context. Even the riot grrl movement is kind of antiquated. You never really hear people talk about that ‘new riot grrl’ band. We owe a great deal to that lineage but it’s time for something new. We want to be portrayed as the responsible, thoughtful people that we are.”
In a 100 words or so: Past Time is a marked improvement from Grass Widow’s flawed yet charming debut album. While there isn’t much of a shift in sound – it’s still rickety, melodic post-post-punk – there’s a certain confidence that now rings from the songs. Credit the upgrade to a label as perfectly suited for them as Kill Rock Stars as playing some role in this, whether it was conscious or not. The band’s minimal, “no frills” approach now brings out their three-part harmonies and frenetic instrumentation, both of which have developed greatly, especially on a song like “Submarine.” While they might not have the buzz behind them like Vivian Girls did, Grass Widow can challenge any of their contemporaries and even ancestors to a songwriting competition – and win.
Best track: “Landscape”
R.I.Y.L. Kleenex, Erase Errata, Sleater-Kinney, The Raincoats, Slant 6, Vivian Girls
Rating: 7.5/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: This sounds best on vinyl, but check it out first here.
Sample: “Fried Egg”
Website: MySpace.com/GrassWidowMusic
Tags: Grass Widow
Posted on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 3:30 pm by Cam and is filed under Reviews, The New Music.
