Posted on August 10, 2009 - by Mark Zonda

Hey Weirdo! It’s Belladonna!

There is more than a peculiar constance on the fresh Vandal Records productions. Cool punk girls, lot of party energy… and random hints on Italian catchy words! My attention was already taken by a band called “The Kiara Elles” with an interesting song called “Odio” (that’s “Hate” in English), now it’s the turn of a band from Leed (and from the same rooster too) called “Belladonna” (don’t think that any translation’s needed anyway).

Belladonna it’s Miss Claire Hill on bass plus vocals and Sarah Wilson backing up with choirs and drums, but despite their match the only thing in common with garage revival you can expect is an unstoppable beat and an accursed attitude on living the music scene. Since “Viva Love” -  the opening track of “Hey Weirdo!”, their debut work – we’re introduced throguh an hymn to the joir-de-vivre launched at full speed on the parallel tarcks of Vive-la-fête, Raveonettes, and La Tigre, through the remarkable use and mastering of samples and voices that never loose its pinch to rhythm and melody. The audacious  “Don’t be fooled by romance”, the current single rolls with a brutal pseudo-rigmarole till the girls loose free roaring their passionate choir with some reminiscences form the ol’ great B-52.

“My low” could actually be a good potential second single, with many parts of the song – expecially the bridge with those quirky fashionable synths and choirs – that “The Spore” fanboys would gladly feel happy to embrace. On the syrens of “We are your diversity” you really expect Lovefoxxx to appear looking for her stolen clothes and starting to sing. Still the track takes other directions, fails to scratch, still is able hypnotize reminding a bit on some interesting experimentation even some hit-parade bands had during the end of the 80′s. All-they want-is… “Tornado”… that would be my favourite track of the album if only some lyrics would pop-out at the end of the 6th “Allright!” , that – otherwise – makes the song just another big planet failed to become a shining star. “Cross the line” manage to do his job with his Stoogy, a convinced hand-clapping, excellent vocals and a nice construction of the song. Could be Belladonna’s “Great DJ”, cause it’s very radiophonic indeed.

“The Brakes”, not to be confused with the band and probably refused by Wendy & Lisa, let those keyboard loose and it’s – positively – the funkiest track of the disco.  “Goldressed” is too repetitive and frenetic to be considered a song. But – hey – don’t look at me! I’m a fan of Gilbert O’Sullivan! I’m so out of the real world… “Battle” is a really nice song, and more than other tracks I bet it would be great on an acoustic version too, while with “Peaches & Cream” we’re positively back to Planet Claire with some extra synths. I prayed for a ballad, just a little ballad, still “Love dealer”, the closing track, don’t spare a inch of Claire and Hannah unexplicable adrenalitical rage. Just like their Tornado!

If you’re with it DJsetting some real cool club and you wanna make the difference or you wanna just feel free to freak your friday flamboyant night out, Belladonna “Hey Weirdos!” it’s definetly your album. As for me, what could I expect from this band? Maybe a little bit more inventive, engaging themselves to experiment with different moods. I could say as well I would like Belladonna to cover a “Transvisionvamp” old classic. But I’ don’t care…

Belladonna – “Goldress”

Let it ring on...

• ODIO (That’s what we love) (0)
• Slide Over Kiara (0)
• A Dharma Initiative (0)