Nadine Shah: "Fast Food"

So many of these new post-punk revival bands are jacking from Siouxsie, but they are only latching onto one element of what  she does.  Nadine might be jacking from Siouxsie, but at least it's a different aspect of Siouxsie that is a path less travelled. The album opens up in a more straight forward manner than I suspected. It still has air-tight song writing. The tension creeps more on "Fool". "Matador" finds her vocals reminding me more of Antony and the Johnsons. For the most part her knack for melodies is able to hold down the song , though when she strays from a certain hook I lose interest. "Divided" finds her having more of a singer song writer feel. The "I didn't ask you to need me" line is sung with an abundance of emotion, leaving you raw and tingly for the guitar to come in. This minimalist singer songwriter direction continues on "Nothing Else to Do". Her vocals sound great through out the album, she doesn't have a spotty moment on the entire record. At time her voice goes in a more Kd Lang direction than Siouxsie and it explores varied shades of gray some like "Nothing Else to Do" are reflective and lighter. So once you get over her voice then you take another listen and break down the actual song writing. There is more so some songs than others, though it's the emotional conveyance that is the albums most compelling quality. "Nothing Else to Do" finds some interesting sounds to weave around her melody, but it's not a song built as soundly as some of the others on this album.

Seems like I have heard "Stealing Cars" I think it was released as promo stream, or it might even be the first single, I would check , but really do singles count any more. Anyways I like the song as much as I liked it the first time. The steel drum sound show her knack for combining organic elements to paint her sonic pictures so beautifully and this song also high lights her ability to harmonize with herself. There is an almost Radiohead style of indie rock to the guitar to "Washed Up" that allows her pull the melody to throw against it out of a dark dream.  She continues to dish out more indie rock flavored fare on "the Gin One", which is one of the album more upbeat moments.

When it comes to songs with sparse accompaniment "Big Hands" holds it's ground the best with a sensuous melody drips over the effects that swell into actual instrumentation. "Living' which closes out the album has a more PJ Harvey strum to it and if a little more straight ahead than the other songs on this album. There is an interesting tone to album that juggles an androgynous longing in the lyrics and their delivery. I'll go ahead and round this album up to a 10 as there might be a few parts that did always grab me and keep, but they are out weighed by the moments that did wow me and I have no problem just keeping this album on and letting it play.