Rasputina rocks without guitars
Rasputina - Frustration Plantation - Four Triangles
Tom Holzerman
Issue date: 3/12/04 Section: Entertainment
When two members of your three-piece band play the cello as their main instrument, it would be hard to blame someone for laughing if you suggested that they rocked. When you think cello, you tend to think of chamber music, orchestras and other things that are decidedly not rock.
However, a wise man once said never judge a book by its cover. Rasputina rocks and rocks just as hard as any outfit that features a guitarist and a bassist, and they prove it with their fourth LP, Frustration Plantation.
Rasputina is the musical vehicle for Melora Creager, who used to be the touring cellist for Nirvana. Much like Lemmy of Motorhead and Robert Fripp of King Crimson, Creager has been the only constant for the group over the years. The current lineup features Zoe Keating on cello and Jonathan Tebeest on drums. Tebeest holds the honor of being the first male to play in the band, for the band had been an all-female affair since their inception in 1992.
The core of what makes Frustration Plantation work is Creager and her vocal work. She's versatile as hell. In the course of the first three songs, her vocal range amazes and astounds. On the first song, "Doomsday Averted," her voice has a mystical aura around it; she sounds as if she's an angel or some other spirit from beyond the grave. Then, in the next song, "Secret Message," her voice becomes more sardonic and fleshy. In fact, with the song's lyrical structure, she sounds like a female Dave Wyndorf, the lead singer of Monster Magnet. In fact, if "Secret Message" were done with guitars, it would certainly have a place on Monster Magnet's 1998 release Powertrip. Then, on "Possum of the Grotto," her voice lends to more of a punkish sound, much like that of the early punk-rock chicks like Patti Smith and Wendy O. Williams. If Creager's vocal abilities don't impress you after listening to this album, then I honestly don't know what will.
Another thing that jumps out at you is the old school imagery. Creager's obsession with the 19th century is evident throughout the album, especially in songs like "Girls' School" and "Wicked Dickie," a song about an old man and his cow. One of the album's highlights isn't a song at all. The track "My Captivity by Savages" is a spoken word passage done as a narrative from a girl whose family is killed by Indians in the Old West. Nowhere else on the album is the historical fetish more evident, but the track is tongue-in-cheek comic brilliance. Creager's narrative delivery as young Eliza Elizabeth Cook is as good as her brilliant singing on the album.
Musically, the album is diverse with harder, faster and punk riffs balancing out other tracks in which the cello is played in the traditional, melodious manner. The way that the instrument is played on some tracks, you'd think it's a guitar, but the versatility of each cellist is the beauty of Frustration Plantation.
The standout tracks on the album include "Secret Message" and "Girls' School," as well as "If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man You Love" and "The Mayor."
If you're looking for something other than the same old, same old rock music, then check out Frustration Plantation. It proves that you don't need to have a guitar to rock.
However, a wise man once said never judge a book by its cover. Rasputina rocks and rocks just as hard as any outfit that features a guitarist and a bassist, and they prove it with their fourth LP, Frustration Plantation.
Rasputina is the musical vehicle for Melora Creager, who used to be the touring cellist for Nirvana. Much like Lemmy of Motorhead and Robert Fripp of King Crimson, Creager has been the only constant for the group over the years. The current lineup features Zoe Keating on cello and Jonathan Tebeest on drums. Tebeest holds the honor of being the first male to play in the band, for the band had been an all-female affair since their inception in 1992.
The core of what makes Frustration Plantation work is Creager and her vocal work. She's versatile as hell. In the course of the first three songs, her vocal range amazes and astounds. On the first song, "Doomsday Averted," her voice has a mystical aura around it; she sounds as if she's an angel or some other spirit from beyond the grave. Then, in the next song, "Secret Message," her voice becomes more sardonic and fleshy. In fact, with the song's lyrical structure, she sounds like a female Dave Wyndorf, the lead singer of Monster Magnet. In fact, if "Secret Message" were done with guitars, it would certainly have a place on Monster Magnet's 1998 release Powertrip. Then, on "Possum of the Grotto," her voice lends to more of a punkish sound, much like that of the early punk-rock chicks like Patti Smith and Wendy O. Williams. If Creager's vocal abilities don't impress you after listening to this album, then I honestly don't know what will.
Another thing that jumps out at you is the old school imagery. Creager's obsession with the 19th century is evident throughout the album, especially in songs like "Girls' School" and "Wicked Dickie," a song about an old man and his cow. One of the album's highlights isn't a song at all. The track "My Captivity by Savages" is a spoken word passage done as a narrative from a girl whose family is killed by Indians in the Old West. Nowhere else on the album is the historical fetish more evident, but the track is tongue-in-cheek comic brilliance. Creager's narrative delivery as young Eliza Elizabeth Cook is as good as her brilliant singing on the album.
Musically, the album is diverse with harder, faster and punk riffs balancing out other tracks in which the cello is played in the traditional, melodious manner. The way that the instrument is played on some tracks, you'd think it's a guitar, but the versatility of each cellist is the beauty of Frustration Plantation.
The standout tracks on the album include "Secret Message" and "Girls' School," as well as "If Your Kisses Can't Hold the Man You Love" and "The Mayor."
If you're looking for something other than the same old, same old rock music, then check out Frustration Plantation. It proves that you don't need to have a guitar to rock.
