Music Style alternative rock

Group Members siobhan mcauley - vocalschip shepard - guitarchris blue - guitarjeff allison - drumsrich cortese - bass

Albums dirty girl scout: glamourpuss

Press Reviews BOSTON GLOBE By Paul Robicheau Globe CorrespondentPOP/ROCK Serum, “Dirty Girl Scout.” Siobhan McAuley’s dark, ghostly vocal tone benefits from push-and-pull settings like the riffing hooks of “Fireball” (where the band’s rhythm section loosens up) and the funkier, PJ Harvey-like inflections of “Big”.Instant MagazinePOP/ROCKSerum, “Dirty Girl Scout.” The CD has been in my player for the better part of two weeks now. Of all the things I am listening to, this release has my begrudged attention. I say begrudged because sometimes I would swear that I’ve heard this whole deal before. It’s got the low throated, sensual, female vocals. It’s chock full of alternately chiming and aggressive guitars. Always restrained. Just this side of cutting loose. The bass guitar rolls and punches and follows its own course, as all good bass guitar does. The drums know when to pop and when to shuffle. Ms. McAuley sings about things that I’ve only been on the boy side of, but I’ll be damned if I don’t listen closer every time. Her voice is striking; a dusky earth sound, and the band plays a curious kind of music: part amputated mood music, part popular composition, part atonal, aggressive wave that I can’t seem to place. There’s a tug of war going on here; a push and pull between pop comfort and disturbing sentiment, an edginess that betrays the surface sheen of accessible pop. This was an awkward listen for a week or so, but like a good pair of leather gloves it fits better each and every day.The production is impeccable, the performance superlative and slick, the songs well developed, the hunger and tension well established. “Church of Elvis” opens the CD and establishes a haunting beachhead. It’s a dense and tempting tapestry of desire and dismay on the dark side. A confession and celebration. A flushed admission and a quick, breathy denial. Step up to the buffet of human experience. Ms. McAuley has set the table. You may be seated.“Babylove” jars the pace with some fine uptempo rhythm work from drummer Jason Dumont and bassist Tristram Lozaw. The elastic blast of said duo provides the perfect wave to carry this course on it’s silver tray to the very edge of the water. “It’s a piece of me/c’mon and take me while you’ve got me flattered/take me I’m the one who matters/take me, cause I’m all that you are not”.Every piece of this release resonates as an intensely personal exploration. Lyrically, Serum paints with brushes both independent and defiant, vulnerable and volatile. From the big hooks of “NRG” to the edgy probing of “Suckerpunch”, Dirty Girl Scout is a formidable work; demanding and alluring, hypnotizing and tormenting. From the ashes of Trojan Ponies arises a phoenix by the name of Serum. Clean your plates.SERUM - Dirty Girl ScoutLollipop MagazineBy Chris AdamsSerum are one of the few Boston bands who have convinced me that my acclaimed “all local music eats shit” theory might need an amendment or two (or at least one). Their live shows are always full-throttle, in-your-face entertainment, and their ever increasing fan base is testament to the fact that, even in these dark days, The Kids can still recognize a good thing when they hear it. Serum’s debut LP offers a subtler, more textural approach than their live assault, but is no less engaging. The main source of the album’s appeal lies in former Trojan Pony Siobhan McAuley, whose throaty, full-bodied vocal acrobatics are consistently a wonder to behold. On Dirty Girl Scout, she assumes a pantheon of roles, playing the spite-spitting rejected lover or the sharp-as-nails ice queen as convincingly as the sultry vamp or innocent seductress. And if sex still sells, than Serum are gonna break the bank. Quite a few of the songs are Spanish Fly in stereo, most notably “Baby Love” which features the “why-was-this-never-written-before?” lyric “Baby, you sure know how to f*** me.” “Sloe Candy” is equally...erm...moist, with its references to “sticky sweet candy,” sung in a mid-coital groan that’d make Caligula blush.(Serum is evidently aware of its sex appeal, as the inner sleeve of the CD case pictures a negative crotch-shot image.) The band itself supports McAuley’s neurotic/erotic wails with a deftly lighthanded, moody ebb and flow that thankfully blends its art-rock proclivities with instantly memorable melodies and tight song structures. And, these days especially, it’s great to hear a band that’s still willing to transcend easy categorization and test style barriers. “NRG,” for example, is sorta space-age funk, while “Church of Elvis” would pass muster at Goth Clubs nationwide. A great debut LP from a band who, if they play their hand well, could be the next Garbage.

Location Boston, MA - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).