Rid of Me : "Access to the Lonely"

The album opens with a grungy dirge that explodes with anger in the chorus. They get into their brand of punk with "I'm so Lonesome I Could Die" which works off a more 90s feel with the expansive vocal-oriented verses giving way once again to a screamed chorus. They added a second guitarist for this album and you can hear how it adds in the denser sonic layers. 'Cut" is heavier and punches with a more sludge-ridden sound. My first impression is this is a heavier album. Dissonant guitar passages cut through, along with more guitars on this album, to add a more firey rock n roll attack. 

She really proves herself as a singer on this album, still maintaining punk integrity. There a many dynamic vocal colors being introduced. "Pavement" could have been an indie rock jam from the 90s. "How You Say It Is" is a catchy song with a strong melody and cool driving arrangement that makes it the best song so far. "Gutted" has a grungy Hole-like feel that we have heard from them before, though the more wandering guitar parts are more interesting than anything Hole ever did. "Hell of It" has an angrier stomp to it not unlike the rowdier moments of riot grrrl. The guitar creates more of a noise rock atmosphere around the angular churning. 

There is an interesting mood established with "Paid in Prayers". It is a little darker and more introspective. The vocals are a forceful declaration in the face of this sonic pondering. Things contract around a more punk-inflected chant. "Libertarian Noise Rock" finds them digging into a more syncopated crunch that recalls "Bleach" era Nirvana. "Feel You" is driven by the burly bass tone, but also leaves the vocals room for memorable melodies. The last song is perhaps the most brooding, despite the more hopeful tone of the lighter and higher vocal delivery. "Weight of  Your World" is an easy-going strummed ballad of sorts that works for what it is, but the bar is pretty high on this album so it comes across like filler. I will round this up to a 10, to say it's one of the year's best punk albums, is understating things as it goes above and beyond what punk normally does, and is the band finding an expanded sense of songwriting excellence.