Giant Drag are essentially Annie Hardy (singer/guitarist) and Micha Calbrase (drummer/keyboardist) and success, of a kind, came as far back as 2004 in the UK with their well received EP, Lemona, three tracks of which are contained on this really rather good debut album, including the stand out from that EP This Isn't It.
It's clear now, as it was then, that Hardy is the group's trump card. Mixing Liz Phair, PJ Harvey and Kim Deal into one intriguing package, Hardy is every bit the star, even if some live performances have suggested she's the reluctant star. Calbrase seems pretty much an after-thought but is every bit as important to Giant Drag as, say, Meg White is to the White Stripes.
The tunes themselves bring a hundred and one different artists to mind. My Bloody Valentine seem to be the critics favourite reference post, but there are touches of the Breeders, the Pixies, the Beach Boys and Nirvana at times. The latter comparison particularly fits given some of the dark and twisted lyrics espoused by Hardy, especially prevalent in tunes such as YFLMD....which actually stands for "you fuck like my dad".
The album is a bit of mish-mash at times, but there is more than enough quality to keep anybody satisfied and despite some low-brow song titles, the afforementioned YFLMD, My Dick Sucks and Kevin Is Gay, the whole thing is quite a wonderful experience. Hell even the cover of Chris Isaak's Wicked Game works well!
They have the tunes, they have the lyrics and they have the frontwoman with oodles star-quality to spare...they should be huge in 2006.
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