Estee Louder
Ohio’s Best
Diaphragm
Ohio’s Best offers a most fascinating album cover. It features two young ladies (who I suppose play in the band), sans clothing, with their breasts in their hands. On their tummies is written the band’s name, with a blue ribbon superimposed between the ladies. Each time I pick up this CD, I feel like I am a voyeur or something, as the ladies’ heads aren’t visible.
That said, the music on the disc is much less captivating. It’s straightforward rock & roll with lots of loud, overdriven guitars. They sound a lot like Bikini Kill crossed with early Black Flag. The music is raw and sophomoric, but it has a lot of appeal. The ladies play their instruments with aggression and force, something that’s often lacking in music of this sort. Fans of really basic guitar-driven power pop will probably think that Ohio’s Best is great. My personal feeling is that the band should fire the lead singer, as his voice is kind of corny. However, the ladies sing in the background throughout the record, and they actually sound quite good (in a Kim Deal sort of way). It’s not a great album, but it’s not bad either. It’s just easily forgettable.
Diaphragm: http://www.diaphragmrecords.com
