CD Reviews

Charlotte Hatherley

The Deep Blue | Little Sister UK

By LEON NEYFAKH | March 12, 2007

3.0 Stars

Every once in a while an album comes along that makes you wonder whether melody really is the only thing that matters. Like her exuberant solo debut, 2005’s Grey Will Fade (Double Dragon), Hatherley’s newest does just that. There’s nothing particularly radical here: she seems comfortable writing songs that are straightforward pop punk in sound and style — songs that by turns stomp and whisper, relying on Hatherley’s charm to do the rest. Until recently, she played guitar in Ash, a band who got their start in 1994 as something of an Irish answer to the American pop-punk explosion. But if The Deep Blue sounds familiar, it’s less an echo of what Ash were up to than a reflection of Hatherley’s unabashed (and infectious) fondness for the tuneful, dramatic sounds of such humble mid-’90s alt-rock groups as Weezer and Foo Fighters. Standouts here include “Again,” which chugs along, strings swelling, like a big, sad caboose, and “Very Young,” which comes closest to matching the cheerful sass that made her first album such a joy.

Related: Ballot crunching, Portland scene report: February 22, 2008, The big apple, More

Topics: CD Reviews , Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music, More

Comments

Add a Comment

view all

[ 11/22 ] Girls, Guns & Glory @ Patriot Place

[ 11/22 ] Mystic Chorale @ Tremont Temple Baptist Church

[ 11/22 ] Salem Cigarette Machine @ Dodge Street Bar & Grill

[ 11/22 ] Mike & Ruthy [Mammals] + Sarazin Blake @ Toad

[ 11/22 ] Talk Modern + Quixote + Ghost Box Orchestra @ Great Scott

ARTICLES BY LEON NEYFAKH

TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS | May 01, 2007
Ted Leo is dad-like, his tenderness enthusiastic but ultimately more of a spectacle than the infectious ball of fire it’s supposed to be.

CHARLOTTE HATHERLEY | March 12, 2007
Every once in a while an album comes along that makes you wonder whether melody really is the only thing that matters.

CIARA | January 16, 2007
Ciara fears obscurity, and with good reason.

ALBERT HAMMOND JR. | October 24, 2006
The strong-but-silent Strokes guitarist sounds sheepish on his debut solo album, but his voice is suitably dreamy and the songs are just short enough for it to hold together.

THE RACONTEURS | July 24, 2006
Jack White’s other band — the White Stripes — may be known for their bass-less, three-drums-and-six-strings set-up. But the truth is, he’s been using all kinds of instrumentation all along.

See all articles by: LEON NEYFAKH

Most Viewed

Most Emailed

WE'RE KILLING THE OCEANS
I meet world-renowned undersea photojournalist Brian Skerry at Legal Seafoods, across from the New England Aquarium, where he's the explorer in residence. He orders a chicken Caesar salad.

REVISITING THE GREATEST HARVARD-YALE GAME
It takes some doing to make Harvard look like an underdog in anything. But Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29 — Kevin Rafferty's 2008 movie (out now on DVD) and new book (released this past month) about the famous football rivalry — does just that.

REVIEW: THE BLIND SIDE
It’s tough for any self-respecting critic to refrain from joyously tackling a Sandra Bullock movie — so it’s a good thing The Blind Side isn’t one.

INTERVIEW: GABOUREY SIDIBE
"While reading the book, I realized that I knew this girl in so many different people. Not just girls but boys, and not just black people but white and Asian and Indian."

REVIEW: PLANET 51
The opening for the latest animated kids’ fantasy is promising — but it’s for another movie.

WE'RE KILLING THE OCEANS
I meet world-renowned undersea photojournalist Brian Skerry at Legal Seafoods, across from the New England Aquarium, where he's the explorer in residence. He orders a chicken Caesar salad.

REVISITING THE GREATEST HARVARD-YALE GAME
It takes some doing to make Harvard look like an underdog in anything. But Harvard Beats Yale, 29-29 — Kevin Rafferty's 2008 movie (out now on DVD) and new book (released this past month) about the famous football rivalry — does just that.

GROUP EFFORT
If you're inclined to play punk rock, chances are you've got a self-esteem problem. It's not an æsthetic that attracts the well-adjusted. Exhibit A: Mark Lind. As bassist and frontman of the Ducky Boys, he's opened for Rancid, U.S. Bombs, and Flogging Molly.

TAXING CATHOLICS
Should the Roman Catholic Church, and the various subsidiary groups and organizations that exist under its umbrella and operate at its direction, be entitled to state- and federal-tax exemptions?