Published on Aug 30, 2000
And now, a few words regarding the debut release from Shivaree,
I Oughtta Give You A Shot In The Head For Making Me Live In This
Dump:
Zzzzzzz…
If you’ve heard the single “Goodnight Moon” on your local
adult-contemporary station, you probably have been intrigued by the
band led by Ambrosia Parsley. You’ve probably considered picking up
this disc.
Stop. Take a deep breath. Take a walk around Best Buy, pausing
only to look at a new microwave oven. Now scoot yourself the hell
out of the door. This disc is something you would want to put on
when you’re fighting insomnia, and is a major disappointment.
Of course “Goodnight Moon” would be featured off
I Oughtta Give You A Shot…; it’s easily the catchiest song
on the disc. The actual best song on the disc, “Pimp,” is one whose
title might scare off some station managers, but it suggests that
Parsley and her various bandmates know how to turn up the energy
when they feel like it.
Pity they don’t feel that energetic too often; the bulk of this
album (sorry, but I’m already getting tired of typing this whole
Fiona Apple-wannabe title) is so mellow and laid-back that it could
easily replace Novocain at the dentist’s office. The
instrumentation is so sparse that sometimes you have to wonder if
Parsley is merely using a synthesizer to plug in a few sounds.
Parsley’s vocals suggest that this is what Cowboy Junkies would
sound like if Donna Lewis or Gwen Stefani chose to be their lead
singer.
It’s a tad surreal, and it’s lazier than a dog on a hot, summer
day. I mean, I can live with the little “snippets” of “Cannibal
King” and “Ash Wednesday” with no problems, but tracks such as
“Daring Lousy Guy,” “Lunch” and “Arlington Girl” – this is Liz
Phair on Zoloft, not cutting-edge alternative. I mean, I thought I
was through listening to the Cocteau Twins!
How a band who have rightfully gained public attention with a
song as good as “Goodnight Moon” could fail to follow it up with a
real album behind it is beyond me, but Shivaree is able to fall
directly into this trap. This album is living proof why singles are
released.
I Oughtta Give You A Shot… needs a shot, alright – namely,
a vitamin shot right in their musical ass to raise their energy
level.