Screaming Females

Screaming Females: Castle TalkCastle Talk (2010)
Don Giovanni Records

Reviewer Rating: 3.5

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Contributed by: JeloneJelone
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Published on October 8th 2010On their new album Castle Talk, New Brunswick, N.J. punk act Screaming Females further refine their raw sound. The tempos are a little slower; at this speed, the group recalls classic punk acts like the Dickies and Devo. But the tunes are still quite good. Over the course of 11 tracks, SF dishes out.

On their new album Castle Talk, New Brunswick, N.J. punk act Screaming Females further refine their raw sound. The tempos are a little slower; at this speed, the group recalls classic punk acts like the Dickies and Devo. But the tunes are still quite good. Over the course of 11 tracks, SF dishes out one distorted rocker after another.

"Laura and Marty" opens the album. It's one of the longest songs on the album, but it doesn't feel like it. Rather, the song lays out every twisting, pulsating move Screaming Females possess. Bassist Michael Abbate and drummer Jarrett Dougherty lay out a nervous framework before frontwoman/guitarist Marissa Paternoster starts dropping in thick, hearty riffs and jubilant word play ("Instead, in store / Cold hands, hot heart," for example). There's a second, equally catchy song buried in there where Paternoster actually starts telling the listener about Laura and Marty and their decision to attend a social gatherings, but it's over soon enough so Paternoster can whip out a succulent guitar solo.

"Laura and Marty" is a really good song, so good that it kind of takes a while for the band to meet its energy levels. Not that there's anything wrong with the songs that follow. "I Don't Mind It" is less enthusiastically rocking but still catchy. It's a good "track two" pick, but "Laura and Marty" opens with a lot of force. "Normal" comes close, though. Besides the acoustic track "Deluxe," the songs all generally have a similar energy. Even though few songs are as explosive as "Laura and Marty," Castle Talk still delivers plenty of tunes to appease folks' ear holes. "Fall Asleep" picks up the dirty/sexy sound Yeah Yeah Yeahs abandoned long ago. "Deluxe" offers a quick palette cleanse before jumping back into the punx. "I Don't Mind It" is just a darn cute love song.

At 37 minutes in length, Castle Talk rolls by without overstaying its welcome. It could maybe be a track shorter, and Paternoster's vibrato might grate on some people, but overall, it's a fine record. Click here to see the video for "I Don't Mind It" for a taste. Or, ya know, just consider that Screaming Females come from New Brunswick. That's all the pedigree you need.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

milkplus (January 21, 2011)

hands down one of my favourite records of last year. that i sadly didn't get into until this year. so very good.

leecorsoisapenis (October 11, 2010)

I'm with Pope. Review and comments sold it. I'm getting this.

3Fast3Furious (October 9, 2010)

The production is a little too slick at times, and I thought the songs were overall not as strong as What if Someone is Watching Their TV and Power Move (discounting some of the standouts like "Boss" and "Laura and Marty"), but even if this isn't my favorite Screaming Females album, their least-best music is still better than almost anything else. I'm so glad that they're finally getting at least a fraction of the praise and exposure they deserve.

thepopeofchili-town (October 8, 2010)

Never listened to this band, but this review and the comments have me sold. Also, anything put out on Don Giovanni is great.

i-type-poorly (October 8, 2010)

Yeah, this is not only the best SF album by far, but in my top 5 of 2010 for sure. Every song (Deluxe doesn't count) is excellent, and I can't get Laura & Marty out of my head.

skeptic667 (October 8, 2010)

I think this one is a landmark. It's one of the classic guitar rock albums ever made. Marissa simply shreds. With lots of guitarists, they stick to a narrow palette but Marissa is all over the place, yet never sounds gimmicky or like she's doing a riff just to be cleverly or to wank on stage. Can't speak highly enough of it. My favorites on it are "Nothing at All," "I Don't Mind It" and "New Kid." If Tom Morello, Billy Corgan and J. Mascis played in Sleater-Kinney, they'd sound like Screaming Females on "Castle Talk."

Rastid (October 8, 2010)

this is maybe the best album of the year. the only reason it's not perfect is that they cut out the screaming from past albums. i love the vibrato, and the guitars are MONSTROUS. in almost every way, it's their best record yet (and power move was my #1 record of the year last year). if they could just throw in the vocal brutality of "what if someone is watching their tv?," they could easily make one of the best records ever.

seriously, this band is amazing.

bryne (October 8, 2010)

Need to hear this. One of the most talented bands out there right now.

Torgo (October 8, 2010)

Album rules, Boss is my favorite