CD Reviews

Veruca Salt

IV | Sympathy for the Record Industry

By FRANKLIN SOULTS | November 20, 2006

3.0 Stars

If the alt-rock/grunge revival has to begin — and it does, sooner or later — both simple justice and looping irony would be served if it began here. On most of the cuts, two archetypically depressive-yet-aggressive guitars offset two archetypically babydoll-yet-empowered women exchanging close vocal harmonies and counterpoint, just as on the 1994 smash single “Seether,” which catapulted this Chicago quartet onto a major and into the sights of poseur loathers who found it all too fashionably derivative of the Breeders, Belly, Blake Babies (and that’s just the “B” groups). Both the aggressive and the babydoll elements are stronger now, serving lyrics that are both more explicit and subtly balanced, bouncing from a putdown of a “So Weird” boyfriend to an equally damning self-portrait in colors “broken, depressed, fucked-up, insane.” It feels like broken, depressed, fucked-up inspiration, but it also marks singer/songwriter/guitarist Louise Post’s continuing growth. In place of long-gone co-equal Nina Gordon, she boosts new bassist/singer Nicole Fiorentino and guitarist/songwriter Stephen Fitzpatrick, a survivor from album #3, six years ago. Six years before that, Post was too late, and maybe too young, to get her props. Now she might be too early, if not too mature. Looping ironies are like that.