Spinning round and around at 45 rpm, vinyl is hypnotic to watch and worryingly hypnotic listen to. Or at least this one is. Maybe it is those basic, near primeval drums. Or those vaguely threatening keyboards. Or those vocals that circle you like a psycho clone of Leather Tuscadero. I know that grungy grrrl groups are all the rage but The Black Belles aren’t just another Girls At Dawn. That’s because they aren’t girls. No, they are women. The song is “What Can I Do?” I’ll tell you the answer – buy all four of them nice shoes and they might not steal your wallet and kill your dog.
As for “Lies”, I remember Nancy Sinatra covering this one way back when. By comparison, The Black Belles’ version isn’t rye and dry. It is more like moonshine. The kind of moonshine that they sell in dirty bars on the road to hell. Believe me, it’s enough to make you eat a Michael Bublé CD. You certainly won’t want to play it again after you hear the Black Belles.
Belated message to Santa – I’d like the bass player from the Black Belles. She looks good in a hat.