Feral Kizzy’s new album Slick Little Girl was easy for me to like. I am a big fan of new wave, glam rock, and dark ‘80s music, so I was easily seduced by our obviously shared tastes. I immediately caught the Lou Reed reference of the title (lyrics from “Make Up” off the Transformer album). I love me some Lou, so instant intrigue.
Kizzy Kirk’s vocals are fabulous. She channels everyone from Debbie Harry to Vice Squad’s Beki Bondage. Her voice snarls one moment, and the next becomes breathily seductive, all while staying effortlessly on pitch and never sacrificing its richness. That’s a neat trick, and she deserves props.
The first several tracks impressed me. “Lapdog Apparition” and “Community Service” are darkly punky earworms. “The Way We Are” takes a brighter turn, though its seemingly perky melody has a wistful twist. “Sally and the Emcee” is a slower number, fleshed out by haunting strings. “Lament” makes several fascinating changes of tempo and genre, bouncing from 80’s pop to disco and back to punk again. “Life Associates” is a pleasant enough little rocker, with lyrical references to Bowie’s “Heroes,” although it suffers from a monotonous melody. “Not My Mind” is meant to be powerful and passionate, but I got distracted by the eerie similarity it bears to “Metal Postcard” by Siouxsie & the Banshees. “The Dinosaur” is whimsical and fun, and reminds me lyrically of something The Pixies would write. “Skin Is Thick” is vulnerable and poppy, in the vein of later Blondie. “What Are You Doing?” the closer, features tuneful backing vocals and some more fun use of keyboard.
So what’s the verdict? Well, the jury is hung. Feral Kizzy’s constant barrage of clever references leave limited space for innovation. Slick Little Girl is enjoyable listening, but struggles to be more than the sum of its influences. The tension between being influenced and being original is constant in rock n roll, especially now that the genre has been around for so many decades. I have every sympathy for the struggle. Sometimes you manage to innovate, sometimes only to tunefully echo the innovations of others.
In Slick Little Girl Feral Kizzy comes across as a group of talented musicians with really great record collections, cool people to talk to and hang out with. Now, I want to hear them make a record worthy of being nerded over and referenced for decades. I think they have it in them, but Slick Little Girl isn’t quite it.
