Louise Post – Sleepwalker – Album Review

 Review for www.nomoreworkhorse.com 

Veruca Salt – Ghost Notes – Album Review

Review for www.nomoreworkhorse.com

https://nomoreworkhorse.com/2020/03/23/solitude-sounds-veruca-salt-ghost-notes-album-review/

Veruca Salt - Resolver

Veruca Salt's third album, released in 2000, saw Louise Post go it alone, without Nina Gordon.  After a piano opening (The Same Person), the album kicks into gear with the heavy guitar grind of Born Entertainer.  The song appears to be directed at the departed Gordon, with Post singing unsubtle lyrics "she didn't get it so fuck her".  The album is a bit of a mixed bag.  There are 'Alanis-Morrissette-goes-heavy' tracks like Best You Can Get, Wet Suit and the pointed Used To Know Her.  There are plenty of heavy pop songs like Officially Dead, and slightly generic ones like Only You Know.  We also get whispery, brittle pop in the shape of Imperfectly and slow burn blowouts Disconnected and Hellraiser.  The album is a bit long and all over the place to really connect, but not a bad effort.

Veruca Salt - Eight Arms To Hold You

Veruca Salt came back in 1997 with a second album.  If anything it rocks even harder than their debut.  Straight opens it up with pounding drums and belting guitar riffs and sets the tone for the album.  Volcano Girls is the catchiest moment here, it's like a slightly heavier Seether, with a tiny bit of early Nine Inch Nails thrown in.  Even songs that seem relatively 'fluffy' such as Awesome and With David Bowie have a hard edge.  

They can dial down the intensity on One Last Time and Benjamin, staying just the right side of radio ballad.  One complaint, 14 tracks if anything dilutes rather than enhances the album, they might have been as well off to edit the album somewhat.  Still, it's well worth your time for the numerous highpoints.

Veruca Salt - American Thighs

The title of Veruca Salt's debut album, released in 1994 will strike a chord with all ACDC fans.  And the heavy slam and hard-riffing on all tracks here will equally impress, opener Get Back comes at you with a mighty wallop.  There's a good bunch of heavy tracks on here, particularly in the opening half of the album with Spiderman '79 and the poppy Seether and Forsythia which have shades of The Breeders about them.  All Hail Me kicks massive ass, with Louise Post's heavy guitars combining well with Jim Shapiro's enormous-sounding drums.

Even middle tracks like Celebrate You and Number One Blind are well above average nineties alt-rock fodder, they'd be standouts on any other album.  It's not particularly complex or cerebral, but it rocks really hard, in comparison with many of their counterparts.  With 13 tracks here the album can drag a bit, especially towards the end of the eight minute 25, but for anyone who likes their power pop a bit heavier, this is near on perfect.