Discover This Undiscovered (in the U.S., anyway) Fresh, Ma
Pete Magritte | Santa Monica, CA USA | 06/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Hey, I'm honored to the be the first person to review this album but I'm also kinda mystified because it's been around awhile and it's a brilliant cd and I'm like: where the hell is everybody??? It's GREAT!
Problem may be that Piney Gir (or Grrrrrr)is a one woman Pop virtuosa who works out of London (check out the fab reviews of this cd on Amazon.co.uk) and, indeed, it was only via the "Blue Baleric" compilation cd of BBC dj's Chris Coco and Rob de Bank that I got turned on to her wonderful pop-synth-pseudo-country ballad, "Greetings, Salutations, Goodbye." (Just sample that nearly perfect pop song and see if you aren't moved to get the entire cd as I was.)
But despite her British residence she is a full-blooded American-ista hailing from Kansas City, named Angela Penhaligon, and her music is a fine fusion of Yankee innovation and sheer pop energy (think B-52's) with British wit and ambience (think Goldfrapp). She does this great, mad, manic cover of The Who's "My Generation" that put me in the mind of the best of the B-52's old stuff when it was NEW, as in "52 Girls" or "Dance This Mess Around." Ditto with the lovely, anthemic "La La La."
This is such a wonderful listen from beginning to end because it touches every possible mood on the emotional spectrum as evidenced, for example, by the absolutely superb medley of the light and happy "Que Sera Sera" instantly shifting into the dark, pulsing, rocking Depeche Mode-y "Girl."
To give you a basis for comparison, other groups I like are Ladytron, Giant Drag, Goldfrapp, and the YYY's and this chick ranks right up there with all of them. I'd have to say that more than anything else "Peakahokahoo" (no, I can't pronounce it either) reminds me most of a much lighter and more upbeat version of Goldfrapp's debut, "Felt Mountain," which is pretty good company, no?
"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1
