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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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Girl in a Coma
Both Before I'm Gone
Blackheart Records
"Tattooed lovers they don't like to reminisce," sings Girl In A Coma's Nina Diaz on her band's debut Both Before I'm Gone. A lack of sentimentality of the inked aside, Diaz can reminisce enough for all of them. Armed with a stack of songs that unflinchingly survey the wreckage of what appears to be a series of tragic romances, Diaz tears through each number with punky, tuneful smarts. Rounded out by bassist Jenn Alva and drummer Phanie D., this San Antonio trio are melodic and aggressive, making numbers like the Social Distortion-influenced "Clumsy Sky" or the twitchy blast of "Say" sound like instant classics. Diaz brings to mind the throaty intensity of Joan Jett (the band is signed to Jett's label), but her lyrics suggest a reverence for Morrissey. In fact, the winning "Sybil Vane Was Ill" and "Celibate Now" both seem to have been mined from a lifetime of King Moz worship. But influences aside, Diaz is her own girl and as the leader of the band she's a strong presence, skillfully snarling and whipping syllables against each other, then sending them soaring into the pop stratosphere. Elsewhere, "Their Cell" summons the now-defunct Canadian outfit the Organ; "Race Car Driver" has all the punch of early Breeders and the acoustic album closer "Simple Man" is just riveting.
—Alex Green
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