Call Me Loretta
Tarnished Angels 7"
/self-released; 2002/

rating : 9 

 


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tarnished angels (mp3)

more info :
www.callmeloretta.com 

Call Me Loretta is probably the best thing the French rock scene has to offer today. Their debut ep, "Scars" introduced them as a disturbed and highly emotional band. They play "approximate noisy pop" (their words) and sound like the encounter between panzer guitars and a soft and touching angelic voice.

"Tarnished Angels" starts with the sound of thunder and falling rain. It is quite handsomely penned. Lines such as "She is so devastated/but her tears are clean" or "Infuriated with myself/I keep it all inside/I could have shown off fake guilt/but smile is an easy win" are sung with a voice on the verge of falling apart, making this song as good as can be. The chorus is filled with discomfort and disillusion "She needs to kill something inside her/I wish it was me/she needs to have someone beside her/ I wish it was not me." Tarnished Angels is a sad, modest ballad written and sung by and for the broken hearted.

"Leafless Mind" was the opening track on "Scars" and is the band's best attempt at writing a hit single. It sounds like a disturbed meeting between Sonic Youth and Cat Power. It starts with the following lines : "I'm stuck/back in the place i should flee/with the ghost who used to scare me/when i was a child." The discreet male/ghost voice hidden behind the singer's back turn this song into one of the band's best song. It ends with the two singers singing "everything is fine" with tight voices. We know it isn't and it's for the best.  

-Vsevolod