Catherine Anderson claims to have started writing songs as soon as she could speak. Armed with a home recording studio and an influence of Sonic Youth and Madonna in equal measure, in late 2007 she began to sift through her catalogue of material in order to create a coherent album.
By 2010 the process was finally completed. With the exception of a few drum samples Anderson played and recorded every aspect of her debut release herself. The finalised selection of ten tracks contains some of her earliest creative work and her most recent. It’s an exceptionally honest account of the period of her life stemming from her late teens to her first year of college in New York.
As a result FASHION ACCESSORIES WON’T SAVE YOU NOW makes for an uncomfortable listen. It’s the equivalent of someone you barely know forcing you to read their diary. Songs open with lyrics as brutally bare as “He tore out my heart and broke it into pieces”. Beg contains the refrain “Take of your clothes, get on your knees”. The starkness of the lo-fi arrangements give the whole album an incredibly lonely feel.
Such an honest and authentic approach is to be applauded, however it’s tricky to spot who this music was created for. There’s a definite charm to the rudimentary playing and lyrics but it’s unlikely to appeal to anyone outside the age Anderson was when she wrote it. The songs deal with the angst and turmoil of growing up, however they are too inarticulate to leave a lasting impression on anyone who can’t relate to that period of their life.
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Lipstick contains some fantastic Nirvana guitar rhythms but when we reach the pay off line “That shade of lipstick won’t get you very far”, it sounds bitchy and petulant rather than revelatory. When Anderson keeps repeating “You kiss like you lie” on the penultimate Send Me To Bed, you don’t know whether to give her a comforting hug or tell her to grow up.
Unfortunately there’s not enough unique quality to allow this album to transcend the period it represents. Despite its long gestation process, it all holds together superbly in mood and tone. The bleakness of the record could almost be referred to as feral. However the lack of quality in the songwriting means that for the moment, Anderson’s work is unlikely to appeal outside a select few.
Catherine Anderson online
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