Serpentone

London, England
Organ Magazine
ORGAN #263 - June 26th 2008
click image to enlarge

SERPENTONE – Spiraling (self release) – A healthy bit of defiantly classic scratchy 90’s North American home-made punk rock reality waiting for you here – a three piece led by the raw emotion and powerful voice of one Erika Meyer, Serpentone are a powerful Babies In Toyland flavoured angry angsty set of adventures, statements, observations and explorations. Relationships, gender politics, S&M hints, Minivan moms – Erika in on the front cover, bent over her guitar, lost in a frail of hair, the cover photo gives you more than a healthy clue. They’re from Portland Oregon and they damn well sound like it. Raw throated do-not-mess-with-me goodness – some of it is very obvious and maybe even a little naive, that’s kind of good though, that honesty is why this album works and bites and demands your ears so much more than the new Free Kitten album – real pearls that’ll tie you up. Dirty old school sound, raw grunge and riot grrl flavoured bite, the real honest deal, you can’t fake a sound like this, you can’t fake lo-fi raw energy – it either happens naturally or it sounds wrong. Spiraling is a very real, very honest, very direct album, a naked album and no one’s going to put her in a line and tell her what to do, no swallowing sugar coated lies – even when she rather convincingly reaching deep inside and tells us she’s a little crazy and messed up - we love it when things are good. Would you? Serpentone blister, Serpentone bite, the band are good, raw live sound and basic production but the band carry it all – yep, this is basic striped down punk rock and there ready for yer, go grab it – www.serpentone.com

Cyrus’s hand, after punching a concrete floor five days before our CD release.
The show will go on this Thursday, w/ M’liss on drums
(and Cyrus manning the merch table).

Some Americans from Portland which form the trio “Serpentone”, present to us a half an hour of rough/raw rock with Spiraling. It is characterized by a type of indie-punk-grunge feel that is a bit out of style, yet still has many faithful followers and supporters nostalgic of that sound. The arrangements are quite simple (in “Division” perhaps too much), the instruments are played in a loving way, the totality of it is convincing, and after some listening I found myself singing/humming along to the songs. Erika’s voice at times seems a little unsure and vague, but she has an uncommon quality that caused me to think of a more rational Kat Bjelland, and more capable of controlling her hysterical vocalizations (which however, were present, above all in “Pearls”). The lyrics are characterized by an apparent simplicity that makes them almost seem like nursery rhymes, united sometimes to an unconventional and bitter irony (”Minivan Mom” above all). The whole set is rather varied, with a calibrated alternation of fast, punk-like songs, and then others that are slower and almost stoner-like (the beginning of “Folding”). “Float” certainly deserves mention, a beautiful and poignant ballad, sung with an abandonment and a truly remarkable pathos: gave me the chills. I must admit that this album was not only pleasant to listen to, but also exciting and stimulating: recommended.
- Giancario Mariottini Femme Rock : Realm of Female Vocals Genoa, Italy (translated from the Italian)