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 Caught in the Carousel "There will be music despite everything"
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Pariah Piranha
People People
Queer Control Records
Like the agitated little sister of Letters To Cleo's Kay Hanley, Tara Gordon is quite a find. The leader of Pariah Piranha, Gordon has an appetizing screech that without warning can veer into sweetness or fury. Numbers like "Atlas" or "Rading Rainbow" fall into the former category, while the furious stomp of "Role Model" captures the sheer angst of the latter. Tracks like "Artifacts" and "Rush Beat" make it clear that Nirvana and the Pixies are obvious reference points, but there are also nods to Bikini Kill ("Hate Beast", "Green Rooms") and Elastica ("Small Town Holdout"). Gordon's a nervy sort, impatiently punching holes in the claustrophobic confines of a song—she jabs, she kicks, she simply can't sit still—and it's hard not to feel her restlessness. "I want to be strong," she wails—on an album that comes with this much muscle, she's got to be kidding.
—Alex Green
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