After Nirvana, it felt natural to do this next band because they are a band that I hadn’t really listened to a whole lot. That band is Hole and it’s Courtney Love’s band. So despite what she does in the media, I’m going to focus on the music. Here goes……….
Pretty On The Inside- so this one has a punk sound to it. It’s actually really raw and angry and I like it. This is not something I was expecting because the songs I had heard from this band were softer. Anyway I can see where bands like The Distillers take their influence from. It’s punk but a kind of indie punk feel to it. Either way it’s a great debut album. I give this one 9/10
Standouts: Babydoll, Starbelly, Mrs. Jones
Live Through This- well this ones different from the last record. Seems here they’ve softened their sound a bit. It’s still a rock record but it’s not as angry or punky as the previous one. I don’t know maybe I expected it to follow the same formula as the last one. However this is not a bad record, it’s just a different sounding record. The songs here seem more cohesive and dialed in. Clearly they wanted to try something different and it works for them. I give this 8/10
Standouts: Violet, Plump, Credit in the Straight World
Celebrity Skin- so this being the third album is also their most successful album. An interesting tidbit is when I took some guitar lessons I asked my teacher to show me a really easy riff and he showed me the riff to Celebrity Skin. Thing about that one is that it was written by Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins). This would be the only album to feature Melissa Auf der Maur on bass and the last album before their 12 year hiatus. This album is a pretty decent rock record and the band has definitely found their sound and it’s pretty consistent throughout the album. Not bad overall. I give it 8/10
Standouts: Celebrity Skin, Reasons to Be Beautiful, Playing Your Song
Nobody’s Daughter- so after 12 years, Courtney Love reformed the band with new band members and wrote a lot of material while she was in rehab. Me personally I think that out of all other the albums, it’s their weakest. The songs just don’t grab me the way the other albums did. I think I liked the angrier and punkier version of this band. However if you are a fan of the band or this kind of music then check it out. I give this 6/10 not a great record but just an ok record.
Standouts: Skinny Little Bitch, Honey, How Dirty Girls Get Clean
Well like I said, I don’t care about whatever trouble Courtney Love caused/causes. The music is actually pretty good and this was a band I hadn’t really given much thought about. I mean definitely check them out but go into it with an open mind and you’ll enjoy it much better.
Final Grade: B
Album Rankings:
- Pretty On The Inside
- Live Through This
- Celebrity Skin
- Nobody’s Daughter
Sinister Reviews 