It’s true, our girls Alela Diane and Swan Island have both received glowing reviews in the current issue of SPIN!
Barry Walters reviews Alela thusly:
“Accompanied mostly by her acoustic guitar, newcomer Alela Diane Menig sings stark, ghostly folk. And while her chords and picking may be beginner’s stuff, she’s already flaunting a large, lived-in growl flavored by antediluvian blues and jazz inflections. Far less girly than kindred spirit Joanna Newsom, and no less commanding, this Portland based siren shares with her pal a primitivism shaped by backward glances and backwoods living. Warning of nightmarish rural invaders in “The Rifle” and vowing to keep her eyes open on the showstopping sea chantey title track, Diane seems destined for grander endeavors.” [scan]
And Joe Gross drops these props on Swan Island:
“Sleater-Kinney changed these five Portland gals’ lives the way riot grrrl changed S-K’s. And initially, they seem to embody every surface description of feminist punk all at once - butch and femme, political and fanciful, arty and breathy. But on this debut album, the drums find real grooves and the guitars hook up and make out, while singer Brisa Gonzales misses old lovers (’Night Owl’) and passionately tries to mind meld with the earth (’Crumble’). Expect underground domination any day now.” [scan]
Way to go ladies, you totally deserve it! And if you’re looking for something to read on your Thanksgiving flight, it’s the issue with The Killers on the cover. So rad!
