Imagine a beautiful woman decked out in a feathery swan costume. She's humming to herself, wriggling about lithely on stage. Slowly, she strips the feathers off of her body, revealing more and more golden skin until she stands before you, naked. A nest rests in the middle of the stage, delicately constructed of twigs and leaves. The woman minces over to the nest and lays a golden egg from her vagina. It's OK, she's British.
Now, not every band has a front woman who has experience choreographing such risqu?© (disturbing?) burlesque routines as this, and that fact is one thing that sets The Noisettes apart. In fact, each of the band members has an interesting life story.
Aside from a foray into the art of burlesque, singer Shingai Shoniwa trained for the circus, though her pretty face might look out of place amongst clowns and bearded ladies. Legend has it that drummer Jaime Morrison rarely left his room over a three-year span, preferring to spend 11 long hours a day perfecting his art. As for guitarist and back-up singer Dan Smith, he fell for Shoniwa (one can't blame him) and never truly recovered.
In any case, the respective Noisettes have incorporated all of their individuality into their first full-length album, "What's the Time Mr. Wolf?" The album title is derived from a form of tag that is similar to "Red light, green light". Prior to "What's the Time," the band had released two EPs, "The Three Moods of the Noisettes" (2005) and "What's the Time Mini-Wolf?" (2006), released exclusively on iTunes.
The Noisettes utilize many different sounds in their music, and are difficult to pin down within a single genre. "What's the Time" shows off their wide range of skills, but it is brought down by the over-use of repetitious lyrics. The songs could benefit decidedly from more lyrical variation.
"IWE," opening in a grand blast off of Smith's whammy bar, starts out slow and quickly builds up into an explosion of Karen O-esque sassiness from Shoniwa. The guitar skips over pinging scales and the drums keep up a foot-tapping pace.
In a similar vein, "Nothing to Dread" is an energetic fist-pumping anthem. A brief and pleasing respite from all the noise comes when the tempo drops and Shoniwa croons, "We'd cuddle up/ Drink summer beer/ And then smoke tea." From there, the pace picks right back up and the recurring refrain of "Don't you know you got nothing to dread" can get annoying.
The album's slower songs, "Hierarchy" and "Count of Monte Christo," are soothing and give your heart rate a chance to slow down. Pleasing moments, such as the a cappella bridge and the playful duet between Shoniwa and Smith in "Count," offer a balance to the controlled chaos of the rest of "What's the Time." Both songs smack of love, notably the bee imagery in the chorus of "Count," which captures love's ensnaring quality: "Stung, you've got a hold on me."
That being said, the album has some low points as well. "Bridge to Canada" is irksome in its refrain, "On the bridge to Canada," which recalls '80s metal bands, in the worst of ways. Shoniwa leaves behind the pretty vibe from "Hierarchy" and "Count" for a mediocre howling whine. "Mind the Gap," while vaguely political, gets lost in a forest of epic vocal styling and wailing guitar riffs. Fittingly, the song dies away abruptly in a storm of reverb, undeserving of a concrete end.
The diverse array of tracks on "What's the Time" illustrates The Noisettes' musical capacity and potential. Unfortunately, the lyrics aren't as original and varied as they could be, and this detracts from the album's overall success. Shoniwa's diverse vocal range and style greatly enhances "What's the Time." She is one of few capable of moving seamlessly between Karen O feistiness, Joanna Newsom-like crowing and the raw sexuality of The Distillers' Brody Dalle.
To date, the Noisettes have toured with the likes of TV on the Radio and Bloc Party and have garnered a spot at the upcoming Coachella music festival in Indio, CA on April 27. "What's the Time Mr. Wolf?" is comfortably reminiscent of the punk shows you might have attended in high school, walls lined with graffitied couches and the air thick with curling smoke. If you're interested in a band that can alternate between chaotic guitar and pleasing melodies, The Noisettes are for you.
