Blanche Davidian
Orange Sunshine
Vodka Tonic Media
These guys sound like The Dead Kennedys, except with much more explicit lyrics. Like the DKs, Blanche Davidian sounds like messy punk at first, but soon reveals a carefully planned and internally organized sound accentuated with the high, clear voice of vocalist Jamie Monistat VII punching through. No simple wall of noise, there’s a sense of melody infused with energy, and you can easily excuse the cutie-pie punk names – Hugh Jass on Drums, Ozzy Osmond on Bass, Nikki Seven on guitar. What you won’t pick up on from the first few casual listens are the lyrics. It’s been a while since I’ve seen anything this nasty – the chorus from “Chlamydia Schiffer” has the line “Get Your Burn On!”, but that’s the tamest song on this disc. Beside the sex and drugs, we find multiple rock and roll references. “Brimstone Jannie” quotes from Midnight Oil’s “Beds are Burning”, and “Blanched Magic” hangs on dozens of ’70s rock references from Maryanne Faithful to Styx. This is a record that repays repeated listens, and once you can decode what Mr. Monistat is singing, it’s a blast to sing along with while driving.
Blanche Davidian: http://www.blanchedavidian.com, Vodka Tonic Media: http://www.vodkatonicmedia.com
