Bratmobile – Pottymouth
I don’t know if an equivalent exists in English, but in Dutch there is a saying which can loosely be translated as ‘if you aren’t strong you have to be clever.’ I think this is true for Bratmobile: they come up with alternatives to brute force which result in a similar effect, most obviously in their singing. They’re unique in that they’re the only band which found a way to make riot grrrl sophisticated (Sleater-Kinney is more sophisticated, but they don’t count because it’s in spite of being riot grrrl. As their sophistication increased, they became less riot grrrl: the transition point was Call the Doctor, and by Dig Me Out they had stopped being a riot grrrl band.) Of course Bratmobile is not sophisticated in the usual sense, but there’s something about their irony and the clever use of bouncy, rhythmic, sparse instrumentation. One could call it skeletal music. Their comparative quietude is also their greatest weakness (you can never truly find an alternative to the force of Bikini Kill), but that’s partly a matter of personal preference.
Pottymouth starts so great.
Love Thing is brilliant, with the dynamic combination of relentless, minimal instrumentation and offbeat vocals. The repetitive pattern has such a force that every time the riff briefly bends upwards it’s way more exciting than it has any right to be. Then we get the stab-me-and-****-the-wound song, which is great for obvious reasons. They also give a fantastic rendition of
Cherry Bomb, honouring some of riot grrrl’s origins. It features the best take ever on the concept of harmony and some delightful ‘oooh’s. Comparing this song to the original shows the band’s strength really well; it’s almost an exercise in making music work with as little means as possible.
**** Yr Fans is the only really screamy song (incidentally, it reminds me of the Descendents’
Parents) but still with the characteristic bright, crisp sound.
Panik takes the signature vocals to their extreme, just flying in all directions, it’s almost yodelling ('her name is PaniIiIiiiIIiIik'). For me one of the absolute highlights is the sassy, delightful
Bitch Theme, which sounds uncharacteristically warm and fuzzy. And then of course there’s
Cool Schmool, which is great for reasons very similar to
Love Thing. To be honest I prefer the latter, but
Cool Schmool wins when it comes to catchiness. After that the songs are still nice, but not very memorable, or maybe the lack of variation makes things sound more monotonous at this point. Anyway that’s not a strong objection, this is still a pretty consistent and really great record.
Choice tracks: