Since Mad Planets has been defunct for more than a year, you may question the point of releasing a retrospective from a band that few have heard of and none will hear from again. The answer, quite simply, is that the New York trio wrote some smashing music. Plying the same feminine variety of punk that made the Primitives one of my favorite late '80s bands, Mad Planets combines pogo-ready rhythms, smoky melodies and poetic lyrics. The disc's opening cut, "Franny", provides an excellent example of the band's approach, nicely condensed into a four minute pop blast. Opening with a chiming guitar and Tara Needham's fey vocals, the song lilts in a soft manner comparable to the Sundays. "Hot on the heels of a breakdown/ He wants me to call him holden", Needham repeats until this gentle sing-song is hijacked by a distorted guitar and driving drums. Mirroring this transformation, Needham now sings "Dig my heels in the dancefloor/ but when I move it's just too slow." True, the song still moves at mid-tempo, but the propulsive momentum of the subtle punk influence makes me feel like the song is flying. The result is totally captivating.
This interplay between delicate beauty and flat-out rock is found throughout the band's work. "Phineas Gage" creates the same contrast between its rollicking verses and the indie-noise of the song's bridge. Elsewhere, this method is less obvious. On "Yr Version of Cool", Needham's venomous chorus "Fuck you for flaunting your version of cool", although sung in the same kid-gloved voice as the rest of the song, cuts like jagged glass. With songs like this, Needham, Erik Robinson (Guitar/Vocals) and John Kapp (Drums) are devastating.
While some songs are perfect, the album has its share of missteps. "Gold Monte Carlo" borrows the James Bond theme, tainting the track with a gimmicky sheen. Also, the vocalists occasionally push themselves beyond their limits (Robinson on "Slice Me On Cheerios" and Needham while screaming her way through "Befriending Darcy"). Despite this, the pleasure of the stronger tracks far outweighs the weaker ones, making this a great listening experience for fans of female-fronted punk-pop bands.
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