Crystal Grenade - Lo! And Behold (2013) [FLAC] {Gonzo Multimedia GONZO HST171CD}
RLSDATE: 2025/08/13 RTLDATE: 2013/10/22
GENRE: Parlour Music FORMAT: 218 MB
SOURCE: CD RUNTiME: 36:31
RiPPER: EAC 1.8 ENCODER: FLAC 1.5
DRiVE: ASUS SW-16D1X-U ORiGiN: UK
RELEASE: Gonzo Multimedia GONZO HST171CD
MATRiX: www.keyproduction.co.uk IFPI LY34 HST17CD 01
with log/cue/nfo/m3u/sfv/300 dpi scans.
LouderThanWar (dot) com adds. . .
I first met Carol Hodge, aka Crystal Grenade, when she was singing on
Steve Ignorant's "Last Supper" tour. I was immediately taken by her vocal
range, stage intensity and ability to handle difficult avant-punk
material. Following up, I discovered her past bands, which included an
industrial trio and a tongue in cheek BDSM party band.
Her current solo release, "Lo! And Behold", is none of that. The album is
a haunting immersion into an abandoned Victorian dance hall... or
bordello... or bedoir... and the phantasms trapped in each. Hodge takes
on the character of Crystal Grenade, freak show chanteuse (or is it
medium/seer?), delivering 11 songs of darkness and dismay, mostly
accompanied only by her piano. The feeling throughout is incredibly close
and atmospheric - it almost seems as if we are partaking in a psychic
channeling in an abandoned farmhouse as the outside world falls away.
The album opens with "Welcome to the Freakshow", a :52 soundscape of
carnival barkers, carousel piano and crowd noise. It is a throwback to
another era - the 1960s concept album, the theatrics of 1970s progressive
rock-– a minute to set the mood for what is to come. The track
immediately segues into "You Could Have Lived", a track that structurally
sounds like the initial idea for a glam song. You can almost hear Ian
Hunter saying "ooh, I can do something with that one, I can!" and, indeed,
with a full arrangement this song would soar. But Crystal Grenade is not
about to let any birds fly. Oh no. And simply clipping wings won't do -
they must be snapped like twigs. Hence "1892 Man", a heart wrenching tale
of spousal abuse. The music hall style implies a sadistic mocking,
carried to further extremes by Crystal's almost schizophrenic vocal
delivery that careens between Plain Jane narrative to May West sultriness
to feral anger that bespeaks of the psychic wounds that accompany physical
bruises.
In an abrupt about face we move into "Lost For Words", a tender love song
full of regrets at opportunities missed or life less lived but filled with
lines that speak of deep, soul drinking love - that aching love that
transcends pain in its glory. I imagine a woman looking at her lover,
lost in his work, silently imploring him to, if only for an instant, lift
his eyes and just... look. Perhaps it is the prelude for "Changed", which
opens with the line "you're not what I want anymore but I don't know how
to start to tell you why". Silly us for thinking perhaps there were
silver linings to be had here! The haunting ghost vocals tell us that
whatever the "indecision" that drives this song, the resolution was not
one that made for cheerful memories. "Take Aim" adds strings to the
sparse mix, which again hints at how majestic these tracks would sound if
fleshed out by a full band. Grenade's vocals hit a real high point here -
tonally this song does her lots of favors and the augmented arrangement
only makes her already considerable strength even more formidable. The
song has a sort of French feel to it that also smacks of glam - Alex
Harvey Band's "Next" comes to mind more than just a bit here.
"Go Round Twice" is a throwback blues song of a cheating heart and
payback. Grenade's voice oozes dark soulfulness on the murderous verses,
although the choruses move into the desperate anger that we've tasted in
previous tracks. I would have loved a slightly more restrained delivery
here to match the verses as otherwise this is a standout track, especially
the trailing ending that leaves us wondering if the narrator pays for her
crime. "Leaving" is an instrumental, tonally a bit warmer than some of
the other tracks but still well within the autumnal feel of the record.
"Shape of Things" plays a delicate, dreamy tune but the wistful sway of
the lyrics is belied by the cold words themselves. Never has the phrase
"whisper in my cheek all the things you wish for and I’ll make sure they
die" been crooned so lovingly. Remorse kicks in full gear with "Nothing
to do with me", a perverse anthem for every failed artist, athlete,
dreamer and lover who has ever walked the face of the earth. The straight
up honesty of this track is stunning; it is an utterly uncompromising
delivery borne of bitter reflection. The character of Crystal Grenade
does not fall away but Hodge definitely lets the mask slip a bit here -
there's a tone of autobiography here that is unmistakable and moving.
It's an unvarnished bit of self-loathing beauty, if there can be such a
thing, and a marker of honesty against which few artists would wish to
measure. The album closes with "For Allison", another ode to flawed love
but one that at least concedes "when I put my arms around you I don't
question, don't doubt, don't frustrate, don't hate because I know that you
feel it too". Instead of betrayal, murder and despair on this last track
Crystal Grenade gives us hope. It’s a shrewd play and gives the album the
feel of an Alexander Payne film - after enduring every depressing foible
conceivable to man you somehow leave the theater feeling happy, perhaps
even uplifted.
"Lo! And Behold" sets an impressive bench line for Crystal Grenade.
Strong songwriting and singing within a dramatic milieu that substitutes
as a musical genre provides a focused, raw and haunting album. There is
room for growth, both in emotional range and musical diversity, but the
confidence shown on this album marks Hodge as a serious artist deserving
serious attention. As a debut it is a mature and satisfying piece of work
indeed.
Ripper's Notes:
If anyone could point me in the direction of that industrial trio and/or
BDSM party band, I'd greatly appreciate it!
If you chose to share this, or any other release, elsewhere, please give the
original ripper/uploader the respect they deserve by leaving it intact and
giving credit where credit is due.
Remember, only by seeding everything you download to 1:1 are you doing your part to keep torrents alive!
As always, that just about covers it!
Enjoy, and SEED!
Your friendly neighborhood Zoloft
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