This very English sounding indie funfest could be PINEY GIR with a garage band doing BLONDIE covers that no one in the band could remember or be bothered to learn. Quite marvellous, in other words. But near-veteran mod survivors DRESSY BESSY are from Colorado. Silly me for forgetting.
This new album is punk and it's witty and it's even a bit MOTT THE HOOPLE. Given that guitarist John Hill has served time with Robert Schneider of APPLES IN STEREO none of this is too much of a surprise.
The guitar fanfare opening is an object lesson in how to grab this reviewer's attention. "Go on then, Tammy Ealom, the audience is ready" it shouts. And she doesn’t do a bad job either. It’s sultry, sneering, conversational and throwaway by turns. She doesn’t warble or trill – any more than Nico or Debbie Harry ever did. The sexuality of the voice is universal, and doesn’t bleed any super-optimal girly excess. Tammy Ealom is just good, a crowd pleaser who can put out a song and hold the spotlight. "Side 2" is a right cracker, speedy punk with a dancey feel and more subtlety in the voice/guitar parts than most indie bands could get away with.
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"Electrified" itself morphs a Grace Jones imperiousness into something altogether dirtier and indie club-night special. I can see this as a DJ choice that gets repeat plays. It’s not a "Black Betty", but then what is?
The album as a whole has range and depth. "Small" is a bit of a love song, "She Likes It" is two minutes 12 of punk tribute chords, a slurred vocal and a stand up yelping guitar lick that gets played just twice. Great. By sticking to good ideas and doing them with style, DRESSY BESSY have come up with an album that really could cpompete with anything the current pop crop, and win.
There isn't a duff song on this album. Penicillin isn't discovered and no Taj Mahal is built. But Hell's Teeth, Mother, fresh sounding dirty power pop music with some quality heritage and well-defined songs is hard to come by these days.
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