‘Female Guitar Players are the New Black’ says the title of one track on Marnie Stern’s self-titled third album. This claim may be intended as tongue-in-cheek, but it’s also an interesting observation, bearing in mind the song’s creator. Stern, who has been lauded for her masterful guitar-playing ever since her 2007 debut ‘In Advance of the Broken Arm’, was previously included in Venus Zine’s “Greatest Female Guitarists of All Time” in 2008. The list was written in response to Rolling Stone magazine’s failure to include more than two women in their own “100 Greatest Guitarists in the World”. Venus Zine’s feature named 46 female guitarists worthy of recognition, but Stern easily stood out as one of the most skilful and relevant, despite being somewhat less well-known than the likes of Chrissie Hynde and Courtney Love.
Marnie Stern may not be a household name here in the UK yet, but after listening to her new third album, it’s probably fair to say that she should be. The opener ‘For Ash’ catches you completely by surprise, much like the rest of the album, with its exploding intro. The track bursts into a spectacular chorus of sounds that takes the listener off on a journey that is, at times, adventurous, psychedelic and insane. Elsewhere, you can hear music that offers a mixture of rock, jazz and general noise, all based around Stern’s technical finger-tapping guitar style, which appears both catastrophic and beautiful. However, songs like ‘Nothing Left’ show that it’s not just her guitar-playing that makes her so identifiable in the male-dominated world of rock music - it’s her vocal style too. Not that she has a typically pleasant singing voice for a female artist, but throughout the album you can hear examples of her magnificent wail that helps to maintain the structure of her musical individuality.
The other significant contributor to this album, who is also worthy of a mention, is drummer Zach Hill. Hill has previously worked on Marnie Stern’s earlier albums, although he is probably better known for being the drummer in Hella and Team Sleep – the other band of Deftones’ Chino Moreno. Hill’s technical and satisfyingly chaotic drumming plays a major role in Stern’s music. The constant snare-rattling that can be heard throughout the album blends well with her relentlessly extravagant guitar music and helps to form a big part of the madness.
The single ‘Risky Biz’, which is probably one of the most mystical tracks on the album, provides a small taster and offers some composure to the passionate furiousness of the other songs. Following two already well-received albums, it may have taken Marnie Stern a few years to reach this level. However, now that she’s here, what’s stopping her? Female guitar players may not be on the rise just yet, but there’s no reason she can’t take them there.
Stereoboard Rating: 9/10
New single ‘Risky Biz’ is out 29th November
The album ‘Marnie Stern’ is out now
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Marnie Stern may not be a household name here in the UK yet, but after listening to her new third album, it’s probably fair to say that she should be. The opener ‘For Ash’ catches you completely by surprise, much like the rest of the album, with its exploding intro. The track bursts into a spectacular chorus of sounds that takes the listener off on a journey that is, at times, adventurous, psychedelic and insane. Elsewhere, you can hear music that offers a mixture of rock, jazz and general noise, all based around Stern’s technical finger-tapping guitar style, which appears both catastrophic and beautiful. However, songs like ‘Nothing Left’ show that it’s not just her guitar-playing that makes her so identifiable in the male-dominated world of rock music - it’s her vocal style too. Not that she has a typically pleasant singing voice for a female artist, but throughout the album you can hear examples of her magnificent wail that helps to maintain the structure of her musical individuality. 
