---Dom Vadino
---Released 18 October 2019 on Omnivore Recordings
Before I get into this review, I want to express my condolences to the friends, family, and fans of Kim Shattuck. She was truly one of the most influential women in punk rock history and most certainly will not be forgotten. I express extreme regret in not having coming across her and her music until much later in life, but I do not regret hopping on the fan-train in general. I value being able to catch her and The Muffs perform in a small, intimate venue in Philadelphia at least once before it was too late. Additionally, I’d like to thank my friend Andy Zielinski, from Washington D.C’s Brickwall Monty, for sharing Kim’s music with me and joining me at The Muffs’ show and punk shows alike. If you would like to know more or support research to find an effective treatment for ALS, please visit http://www.alsa.org/donate/
No Holiday opens up with “That’s For Me,” a thirty second refresher track, reminding us what The Muffs are all about. It’s been five years since we’ve heard from them last. If you haven’t been actively listening to their discography, this song is like a recap track from where Whoop Dee Doo, their previous album, left off. After this opener, the rest of the album is filled with seventeen more tracks; all about two minutes each, with a couple that stretch to about four minutes. Kim Shattuck wasn’t much of a gear head when it came down to equipment. She was using the same guitar since 1991: a Gretsch BST-1000, also known as “The Beast.” She had two pedals that accompanied the beast: A Little Green Wonder, then later on adding an Ibanez Tube Screamer into the mix. These three main ingredients were all ran through a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb-Amp Combo amplifier (Equipboard). Taking this gear into consideration, the album reeks of all of these elements, excluding some acoustic takes and post-recording effects.
This album is a quick listen taking into consideration how many songs there actually are. “On My Own” is a kick ass track. The song’s vibe really carries on the feel of some of Kim’s earlier work. It’s poppy, fun, energetic, and a damn catchy tune. It’s songs like these where Roy McDonald’s drums really pull the song together and convey the energy in the tune to the listener’s content. The low-end lead guitars that carry us through to the second verse and bridge sections really tie the transitions together. “Insane” is another one that stuck out. It’s groovy, opening up with a really buzzy, hollow, electric sound, seemingly Bowie influenced, but eventually hits really hard when the drums and bass come in. The chord progression in this one is nutty. Just when you think Kim has slipped into something generic in her songwriting, this curveball of a song comes at you and completely revives the album in its second-half.
“You Talk And You Talk,” a 3/4 slow jam, literally slays the album (in a good way). This song resembles a lot of the elements from their previous album's track, “Up And Down Around.” A lot of the sectional transitions even seem copy-and-pasted from that track, or merely just giving an ode or creating a connection between the two songs. Lucky Charm is along the lines of the same thing. This one's so strange. It's hard to tell whether or not it's sarcastic or genuine. The way Kim inflects her words almost sounds like she's questioning what's she singing about and it's just sounds so weird over the odd guitar riff. In terms of the production of it, the weird is fine. Everything is compiled correctly in this one and it sounds coherent enough to enjoy.
If we’re speaking incoherencies, out of the 18 tracks available, two stick out as such. The first being, “Happier Just Being With You,” which reeks of incompletion. The drums are panned completely to the left ear and are almost drowned out by the rest of the instruments. It may be safe to guess that Kim may have recorded this one on her phone and then Ronnie Barnett and Roy Mcdonald just did what they could with it. It just doesn't work as a composition. Had it been rerecorded and mixed properly, there could have been a solid product out of this one, but having said that, maybe not.
Secondly, “The Kids Have Gone Away” is another example of incoherency. It's better than “Happier” but has the same result in production. The drums, again, are completely panned to the left and almost drowned out. I'm glad I've heard them, but I wish it was just a better listening experience. These tracks feel rushed and thrown into the pile of music, rather than recording and producing them with precision. Having said all of this, it doesn't outweigh the gems on this record. These are the two that seem problematic, though.
Lastly, “Sky” ends the album and is the last we hear of Kim. An acoustic lullaby-type track, this one will bring a tear to your eye. Listening to it, it sounds as if Kim has come to terms with her disease and is in wonder of what’s going to happen next. A short, straight-to-the-point song, it's layered with pretty, angelic backing vocals, a twangy, catchy acoustic lead and is nothing short of a heartbreaker. In a way, it's the perfect way to go out. The song is downright beautiful; tragic. Even if there was something wrong with it, it's soulless to criticize this one. No Holiday ain’t too bad. Sadly, Kim didn't make it to the release of this one, but wherever she is, this last chapter of an album has left us fans with some closure.
Listen to the track "You Talk And You Talk" below:
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