Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

Joanna Gruesome

Weird Sister

Label: Fortuna Pop! Release Date: 16/09/2013

92548
jmclark37 by Jon Clark September 10th, 2013

Joanna Gruesome’s debut record is one in which this Cardiff five-piece manage the rare feat of spanning genres and sub-genres without losing focus. Bridging the gap between aloof effortlessness and concentrated fury, the record segues between riot grrrl, dreampop, grunge, twee, punk, shoegazing et al continually: a Nineties indie 101 from a band whose influences and reference points may be clear, but there own songcraft cannot be doubted.

While all these indie and punk subgenres are certainly all interlinked and related, it isn’t too often that a band attempts to combine practically every single one of them in their sound without being asked to either sit down or take some Ritalin. Joanna Gruesome have not only done this with particular flair, they have a marked lack of subtlety (or at least discretion) about it: the tracks change with impunity and the results are raw and fantastic. This is the sound of five people going mental in a room in South Wales - they’re clearly very good at it.

The sound is bright and brilliant despite its lo-fi sensibilities. The spiky guitars are loud and engulfing, then jangly and understated whilst the girl/boy vocals jostle for dominance in places and meld effortlessly in others. There are places where the drums are played with such ferocity that they feel like they sound like they’ll break; in fact that’s true of every facet of this record, what makes it so special is that they don’t.

‘Lemonade Grrrl’ is excellent in its unexpected double time drums; the vocals remaining fey and Postcard Records-ish while everything else crashes around them like a 33 played at 45 speed. Following this is ‘Secret Surprise’, a Los Campesinos! vs. Dananananaykroyd-esque yelp-athon that manages to sound far removed from its predecessor whilst still retaining the ethos that holds this record together. ‘Sugarcrush’ is also a stand out here, a mix of The Vaselines and Nirvana- the latter band’s influence coming through during the final breakdown of the track whilst the former’s is shown in the jangle of the main section: a time line of indie music in 2.46 package.

While this record does act as an all-encompassing lecture in Eighties/Nineties outsider-indie, its execution transcends its constituent parts to create something that is strikingly unique under its surface. Weird Sister’s ebbs, flows, peaks and troughs: a shape-shifting, nuanced LP that could be described as derivative, but never formulaic. This format may not work for a second album, but considering the talent on display here, it won’t have to: there is little doubt that Joanna Gruesome, like their Cardiff-emporaries Los Campesinos!, will soon move on and create for themselves a similarly devoted, cult fanbase. And if there is one thing that can be gathered from this record and its indie ethos, anything more mainstream than a devoted cult fanbase would be a blow indeed.

  • 8
    Jon Clark's Score
  • 7
    User Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

TRAAMS

Grin

Mobback
92543
92551

Moon King

Obsession

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND