Song of the day – 607: The Julie Ruin

The main vocal is great on this song, but it’s the laconic harmonies that make it. The use of silence. The clipped guitar solos.

The call to arms comes not through Kathleen’s righteous swagger of a voice (but man, it’s great to hear her tackle some straight down the line minimal punk rock again). The call to arms comes from the parenthesis. As it should.

Shake it on the stairs, in the air, on the town (oh come on)
Make it popular but still say it with a pout (oh come on)
Throw all your words in the deepest ocean (oh come on)
Cover all your wounds with calamine lotion (oh come on)

It’s a fist pumper of an anthem, a lip pouter. It’s as meaningless and filled with meaning as, “Wave your arms in the air/Wave them like you just don’t care”. The difference is in the detail. Fierce and dorky but militantly joyful. (No, not dorky that way, you dullard.) Female empowered. Fierce staccato stutter. Fierce and human and fun and… fuck this, I’m going outside to jump around. You could play this 20 times straight and still end up massively smiling.

Everyone is having a good time.

Riot Grrrl.

by Everett True

My name is Everett True. I am a music critic. This is what I do. I criticise music. The clue is in my job description – music critic. I do not consider myself a journalist, as I do not research or report hard news. I do not consider myself a commentator as I believe that everyone should be a participant. I criticise people and in return I am not surprised if other people criticise me. It is part of the whole deal of being in the public arena. I am Everett True. Believe in me and I have power like a God. Quit believing in me and I no longer exist.