From the first blast of melodic, ballistic guitars, The Red Sea parts itself easily from a truckload of other also-ran releases that fashion themselves as post-feminist/post-independent/post-queer punk. But the more abstract qualifiers, the more confusing. Stripped down, the Brooklyn quartet called the Shondes are complex, satisfying rock from the Sleater-Kinney school of balls to the wall honesty.
All eleven tracks on The Red Sea boil down to a rich blend of instrumentation, with guitar and bass often complemented with an eerily old-world viola. Elijah Oberman, the provider of the latter instrument, lends the unique sensation that whatever haunting relationship problems and petty betrayals being sung by the caterwauling Louisa Solomon are the stuff of ages. Maybe not on the scale of the world classics that inspire their music (there is a strong sense of Jewish tradition on this album), the songs here rival for a place in the canon of modern music. Tough, distinct songs like “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” and “Don’t Look Down” feel like someone stirred the long cold corpse of genius and brought it to the studio. It might not be venturing too far into hyperbole to say that no band since the aforementioned Sleater-Kinney (particularly on their album The Hot Rock) has created such a subdued and personal, yet brashly introspective punk record.
The Shondes and their forthcoming effort are, in summation, not living up to their name (from the Yiddish word for “shame” or “disgrace”). They are able to offer cultural tribute while grinding out their own edge. One of the most competent releases of its cut in recent years, The Red Sea is an early favorite for 2008’s top ten list. |