Remember, "Death does not exissssssssst"...
RAINBOW RESERVOIR – CHANNEL HANNA (Odd Box Records)
Rainbow Reservoir might be an actual place, in
Connecticut, but it really sounds like some My Little Pony SodaStream knock
off. That’s fitting, because this album,
whilst ostensibly punk, is embellished with the hairclips and dimpled grins of
vintage twee pop, and for every buzzsaw guitar rasp and declamatory shout of
norm-slapping individuality, there’s toyshop chintziness and cutesy
melody. It could be the soundtrack to the
advert for Riot Grrrl’s World. Despite
a dip too far into cloying infantilism on “Blue Crab” and “Big Bunny”, which
sound like a six year old making up songs in the night to stave off a fear of the
dark, Channel Hanna is an exciting,
energising record, and one that refreshingly doesn’t mistake unilateral hatred
for pointed criticism.
Whilst The Pistols bluntly stated the Queen “ain’t no
human being”, Rainbow Reservoir’s “Brenda” is a little more kind, observing
that whilst ER might be very nice, she’s kind of pointless. No hard feelings, but how about the
dissolution of the monarchy, ma’am?
Similarly, “Podium Girls” resembles Voodoo Queens’ “Supermodel
Superficial”, but lets the glossy airheads down gently. As balance, “Gold Star Girl”, in addition to
boasting lovely, lilting bass, notes that not every pretty high-achiever is a
conservative cis-bitch. As well as this
live favourite, the album’s highpoints are the clattering, Monks-influenced “Drunk
Maria”, “Fuzzy” a fountain of pop glory with a great atonal unsolo stuck in the
middle, “Rainbows Don’t End”, a budget torch song that sounds like Princess
Peach having a go at “The Impossible Dream”, and the title track, replete with a
funky Grange Hill synth line which is
more Le Tigre than Bikini Kill. With the
release of this album, we raise a glass to Rainbow Reservoir: make ours a
double-strength Fluttershy daiquiri, cheers.
