December 1, 2015

Violent Mae’s Second Album Is a Sizzling Triumph


Violent Mae
Kid
Telegraph Recording Company
       

Becky Kessler, singer and guitarist for the Connecticut duo Violent Mae—Floyd Kellogg plays the other instruments—has a voice deserving of your undivided attention. Like a more excitable version of The Mynabirds’ Laura Burhenn, with hints of Dusty Springfield’s soul and Bjork’s lunacy, she projects a brooding unease that implies looming storms of emotion, edging ever closer to a full-fledged outburst, yet never losing control. From the bluesy slow-burn of “IOU,” where she proclaims herself a “bad actress,” to the thrilling jitters of “In the Sun,” to the footstomping “Murdered Bird,” the twosome’s second album is a sizzling triumph.

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