BUGGIRL
Dirt in The Skirt

“OH DEAR GOD, NO!!!” I thought – surely not another “are they brother n sister or are they husband and wife drum and guitar combo”??

Luckily Buggirl ARE not another couple of under-educated alt upstarts confusing raucous ineptitude with indie cool – instead you have the brother sister double act of Amber & Clinton Spence whacking out a clearly glam rock influenced take on the new world order of rock.

First song ‘Spread That Eagle’ sums the whole album up in a nutshell: Clinton’s rocking guitar riffs open the door for Amber’s rock solid hard rock drumming and feisty metal chick vocals about sex, rock, and partying. “spread me like butter, spill me like wine” she growls with that raspy bluesy party chick voice, and it’s a turn-on, man!

The downside of the album is also present from the very outset – no bassist means no bottom end, so no matter how good the production, there’s no way to avoid the CD sounding tinny and thin at times.

Now, I know bands like White Stripes and The Black Keys are touted as a triumph of indie cool combined with DIY punkish attitude and a solid blues rock foundation, but I haven’t heard a single song from one of them – or from Buggirl – which wouldn’t have sounded a bit fuller, well rounded and more lush with the addition of a bass line, even if it was down low in the mix.

Once you steel yourself to not being constantly annoyed at the lack of bass, the title track, ‘Wasteland’, ‘Fat & Greasy’ and more will provide a cool soundtrack to a few beers around the barbecue, or help to fire you up as you rev up for a night on the town.

Shane Rockpit