How I miss the days when female-fronted indie bands littered the lower-echelons of the top 40. In those heady years of the mid-to-late-90s, you couldn’t open a copy of Vox, Melody Maker, Select or NME without stumbling across an interview with a super-hot, female singer with her music-playing wallpaper (aka ‘the band’). Echobelly, Republica, Lush, Salad, Sleeper… there was the good: Skunk Anansie. The very good: Black Box Recorder. The bad: Kenickie (Lauren Laverne, we’ve not forgotten. Or forgiven.) The god awful: Bis. And the god-forsaken: Hole.
Which brings me, rather long-windedly and self-indulgently, to Bleech and their debut album 'Nude'. In case you’re missing the link, it’s because here we have a female-fronted indie band. In fact there’s two girls in the band, sisters Jen (on vocals and guitar) and Katherine (on bass – who, incidentally, looks a bit like Nicola Roberts’ indie twin). There’s also a bloke, let’s call him Drummer.
Anyhoo, onto the review and let’s start with the band name. Bleech – is this a misspelled tribute to Nirvana’s album? Fitting, because when you listen to this, you can’t help but noticed the more than occasional nod to Courtney Love’s band Hole – very much the Celebrity Skin era mind. Although don’t expect quite such angst, if anything Bleech are a very polished, ahem, Hole. Truth to be told, I don’t know the origins of their name, but interestingly there was a band of shoegazers from the late-80s called Bleach, so that would explain the spelling. But I digress…
Bleech are clearly a product of those many bands that achieved at least one top 20 album during the 90s. They play the kind of grunge pop that is actually impossible to dislike. They have a bit of everything, they’re Elastica but a little less angular, they’re Hole but without the grunt (and, hopefully, a lot of other characteristics too), they’re even occasionally a little bit breathless like Echobelly – the end product though is an album full of instantly, wonderfully familiar songs.
You don’t have to spend days working out hidden meanings to lyrics, because it doesn’t matter, there’s something reassuringly recognisable about at least six of the ten tracks. For those in their late-20s and 30s, they could even class as nostalgia, for younger fans, it could be an entry point into more hardcore sounds. Not that it’s an entry point you want to go past because you can’t help but get caught up in so many of the songs on 'Nude'. The almost-sullen teenage-esque musings in 'Weirdo' lead to a chorus which I challenge anyone not to find themselves singing soon after: “To be loved by you, to be loved by you is such a waste of time…” Yes, lyrically, the songs aren’t exactly going to pick up an Ivor Novello any time soon. But Jen’s voice makes up for an awful lot. In 'Flowerhands', strings and plucked guitar add a bit of drama, but more importantly the melancholy of the vocals give Bleech another dimension allowing them to divert from the pacey, pop-rock of numerous other tracks. Again, the odd line stands out: “Don’t send me roses, can’t see you I’ve got flower hands”. Which, quite frankly, must be a bitch if you’ve got hayfever.
Cheap gags aside, the simplicity of Bleech is what appeals most. And, even when their lyrics suggest otherwise, Bleech are fun. Drummer is clearly having the time of his life all the way through and in efforts such as 'Mondays', they’re just giving it everything while pointing out how happy they are. Even when they’re sad. Or when it’s Monday. Or when the world comes tumbling down. Well, listen to it, you’ll love it. No, really, you will. As you will the chopping guitars of 'The Worthing Song' which is so wonderfully Frischmann until it emerges into a Love-esque chorus that it takes me back to my teenage bedroom with walls covered with my girl guitar heroes.
Overall, this is a cracking album. No, it doesn’t pull up any trees musically and, no, it isn’t going anywhere that those Britpop-era bands haven’t already been, but in 'Nude' we have ten well-crafted indie-pop songs that deserve wider recognition. What’s more, Jen can genuinely sing and has plenty of strings to her vocal bow – although you do kind of wish she would push it that little bit more at times, it definitely feels like she’s holding back at times. The band are tight too and that comes across, you’d expect sisters to work well, but the fact Drummer completes a well-orchestrated trio is a tribute to the work they’ve put in.
On the wordsmithery front, Bleech have penned some true gems and some, ahem slightly more interesting gems filled with youthful musings, but there really is nothing not to like about 'Nude'. One listen and you’ll be able to recall the chorus of a decent chunk of the songs, which is pretty good going and exactly how indie pop should be. If they can just push the envelope a little bit more, then they could go from being good to great.
Album Rating: 8/10
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Which brings me, rather long-windedly and self-indulgently, to Bleech and their debut album 'Nude'. In case you’re missing the link, it’s because here we have a female-fronted indie band. In fact there’s two girls in the band, sisters Jen (on vocals and guitar) and Katherine (on bass – who, incidentally, looks a bit like Nicola Roberts’ indie twin). There’s also a bloke, let’s call him Drummer.
