Slant 6 metamorphoses into zombies on new album
While most of the post-punk world followed the likes of Husker Dü in turning up the guitar distortion to fill out a three-man sound, Slant 6 has a cleaner, stripped-down sound vaguely reminiscent of '60s surf licks. Inzombia 's second track, "Babydoll," is a good example of the band's free-riffing, rollicking style, and it features the closest thing to a guitar solo (actually more of a rave-up) you'll find on this album.
Lead singer and guitarist Christina Billotte's vocal style, able to take on seemingly any persona -- from fluttery to haunting, irritated and even soul-searing -- is one of the best things about Slant 6 but seems under-used here. Bassist Myra Power's lead vocals in "Partner in Crime" make it one of the most pleasingly accessible (read: traditional "girl group") songs on this disc.
Billotte, Powers and drummer Marge Marshall collaborate in writing intensely musical lyrics, filling their songs with imagery. Slant 6 is at its symbolic peak when Billotte and Powers share the vocalist duties in "Victim of Your Own Desires" and "Mascaria." In "Victim of Your Own Desires," lyrics flow out in a non-linear but calculated fashion, "need a black cup of coffee ... so warm and nurturing ... burning up, burning up," while Power's bass thunders down like a rhythmic hangover. "Mascaria" demonstrates the musical quality of Slant 6's lyrics with lines like "disguise/your eyes/they can't/tell lies."
The title track, "Inzombia," is either creativity, filler or some combination of the two. The band simulates a Hollywood horror flick over seven minutes in surreal fashion; the trio frantically whispers "Inzombia" over a clanging guitar chord for opening and ending credits. Marshall simulates footsteps in the hall with her sticks and plays clichéd horror film organ -- only faster. When the growling of the "monsters" fades out at the end, everything seems like a dream, but then the incessant "Inzombia" whispering cuts back in to remind you it isn't.
Slant 6 fans take heart: This is still a punk group, and on cuts like "Retro Duck" and "Eight Swimming Pools," Slant 6 plays fast and hard. But the triumphal choruses of Soda Pop Rip Off have been replaced by anti-climactic stop-start refrains. This is Soda Pop Rip Off without its three best fast songs.
Slant 6 seems like an acquired taste, but there's enough good stuff on Inzombia to be worth the eight bucks it costs.
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the September 22, 1995 issue.
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