Week 8: The Ettes

In high school, my band had an argument.  Half of us thought that it would be cool to have a girl lead singer, and half of us thought that it was a terrible idea.  The seminal moment in the conversation came when someone said, "Dudes.  No one likes rock bands with girl lead singers."  Eagerly, someone retaliated with, "Oh yeah, what about Evanescence?  What about the chicks from Heart?"  The response: "Exactly."

Of course, there were other arguments. Fleetwood Mac. "Yeah, but they all ended up hating each other."  Janis Joplin.  "She was a goddess, and there was only one of her."  Eventually, we were forced to the conclusion that although chicks could sometimes pass as decent drummers, they just couldn't rock as hard as dudes.  Now, years later, it appears that we were seriously mistaken.  We had inklings that we may have been mistaken when we discovered The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but were never entirely convinced.  I can't speak for the rest of my former bandmates, but after listening to Nashville's own The Ettes on repeat for the past week, I've been forced to admit the error of my ways.  

The Ettes have actually been around for quite awhile.  Their inaugural album, Shake the Dust, was released in 2006, and I wish that it had made its way into my hands back then.  Composed of Lindsay "Coco" Hames, Maria "Poni" Silver, and Jeremy "Jem" Cohen, The Ettes actually have not one but two girls in their three-seat act.  Put roughly, they sound a lot like Joan Jett and the Blackhearts with a lot less glam and a lot more garage.  Alternatively, imagine Meg White, Joan Jett, and the Ramones driving a steamroller through your speaker with a rabble of angsty teenagers moshing and cheering them on.  What they don't sound like is the Yeah Yeah Yeah's.  I see them compared to the Yeah Yeah Yeah's all the time, and I can only assume that this is because the Yeah Yeah Yeah's are one of the only moderately successful rock bands with a girl singer that readily comes to mind.  Yes, there are definite similarities, and both bands inhabit the same genre-territory (especially in reference to the Yeah Yeah Yeah's earlier work), but in general the Yeah Yeah Yeah's stray much farther from the short, undercooked format that The Ettes tend to stick too.  This isn't to fault either band; both do what they do very well.  It's just that you're not likely to see The Ettes lead woman Coco take the stage wearing one of these:

I could talk about The Ettes' catalog on an album by album basis, but chances are that's not how you're going to be listening (especially if this is your first encounter with the band).  If you have Spotify, just search "Ettes," start at the top of the list and let it play through; there's not a single bad song in the bunch.  In fact, there's not even a so-so song till at least 3/4 of the way down.  If you don't have Spotify, check out "Teeth," "My Heart," "The Pendelum," and "I'll Be Your Lover" on Youtube or whatever you use.  Actually, while you're at Youtube, check out the hilarious music video for "Excuse" (which features comedian Tom Scharpling) and the South Park-style cardboard cutout animation video for "Marathon."  Of the aforementioned bunch, "Teeth" is my standout favorite, with "My Heart" trailing as a close second.  "Teeth" absolutely nails it as a creepingly spooky minor-key ballad, and features one of the coolest, most sinister lyrical hooks I've ever heard, while "My Heart" stands as a paragon of punchy, raw garage-rock.  Rarely ever straying past the two and a half minute mark ("Teeth" being one of the few exceptions), The Ettes have perfected the sort of swift kick in the crotch, shot of adrenaline rock that is so shockingly hard to come by these days.  With the kind of cheap rush you get from it, you'd think every bum with a guitar would be selling this stuff for a nickel, but for some reason every band out peddling EPs on the street corner wants to sound like Lady Antebellum instead.  It's refreshing to see a band, especially one that's 2/3 female, willing to actually get out there and blow your eardrums out rather than lull you to sleep.

If you need more incentive to check these guys out, they are offering two free tracks on their website in exchange for your e-mail.  Do it, you won't be disappointed.  

P.S. Apparently Coco Hames recently opened an art/music shop in East Nashville.  Check out Nashville Cream for more info.