Thursday, January 20, 2011

Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers

Add Date: January 18

Artist: Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers

Album: Teenage and Torture

Label: Knitting Factory Records

Genre: Rock, blues, lo-fi

Comments: Unless I'm studying, I usually don't prefer instrumental albums. Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers' Teenage And Torture, though, has me desperately wanting this album to get rid of the lyrics or just seriously adjust them. Not to say that Ray's voice isn't rough, edgy, and a good match for the dirty blues sound of the album. The group, however, uses crude and crass lyrics to demonstrate the frustration and futility of being a teenager, or even just a human. This nihilistic message, though, contains no sense of poignancy and therefore strips the tracks and album of any potential beauty and transcendence.

0 comments: