All right, might as well just get this done and over with. There's been a lot of hype surrounding this three-piece Jersey group and I for one never thought it warranted. Then again, I'm not a hipster and never cared about the hype that came with any band. Hype is for people that need to think what they are about to listen to is going to change their life or at least what pants they wear that season.
Anyhow, Power Move sounds like something SST would have wanted to put out before 1990 mixed with some very Zeppelin's guitar riffs and probably lots and lots of drugs. If Screaming Females would keep to writing decent three-minute noisy indie pop songs, I wouldn't be slagging on Power Move. However, once they stray into unwarranted territories like the 70s' rock suckfest of "Skull," I find myself reaching for the next button.
I honestly do not care how good your guitar player is if she can't sing for shit. Marissa Paternoster has one of those voices that grate on me like cats being tossed face first into chalkboards. If she isn't trying to yodel then she's trying to be Grace Slick, and if that doesn't work, she's screeching her brains out and it's all headache inducing.
So here's no surprise, I don't like another rising indie rock star. Sad to say, my age plays a part, as I don't think reaping all the bad parts from 70s' arena rock to early grunge makes you a decent band. It's makes you sound like every band that's tried to do it before you. It's sad because the first track, "Bell" is a great little pop ditty that masks Marissa's caterwaul. It's a shame the rest of Power Move doesn't come close to even thinking about writing another pop song as Screaming Females would rather show off their musical chops than write a catchy song. And that's just plain annoying.
