The Whore Moans, Hello From the Radio Wasteland

The Whore Moans’ Hello From the Radio Wasteland is an energetic little piece of music from Seattle that sounds ready to take on the world. It consists of passionate singing that leads to screaming by the end of the line, lots of backup vocals to carry on the intensity, and that fast-moving bass that is so common in punk music. It doesn’t feel too familiar or clichéd, though, because they bring many original aspects to the table, mainly out of the pure unpredictability of each individual song. The vocals slide up and down in a warbling fashion, and the songs fade out rather than conclude on a set note.

The music itself doesn’t follow the sexual imagery of the band name, possibly because the band took the name from the Sonic Youth EP Whores Moaning to pay homage to them. The Whore Moans’ songs in general are pretty versatile; they go in different directions, not necessarily heading down the typical path of a garage-punk song. There are some more subdued, mellow songs, and then of course many faster, louder, guitar-driven songs. Percussion plays a large role, since they rely on clapping alongside their drums more than once.

“Fingers and Martyrs” ranks as one of my favorites, with its repeated, desperate plea: “Save yourself if all else fails tonight / Save yourself or at least put up a fight.” “White Noise Melody,” however, starts with the singer’s voice wavering in a soft-spoken way, reminiscent of Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes, and picks up to epic proportions only to be reduced back down to handclaps and chanting. “Rise and Shine” truly surprised me when it suddenly breaks off into a piece of “Be My Little Baby,” and “Dead Man’s Drink” is an ode to pirates, proving that they obviously planned on making this CD as unusual as possible.

This album is great for rocking out or waking up in the morning. At times it sounds like Rancid minus the psychobilly/ska feel, probably because of the Lars-esque vocals and style. I want to say that this could be found on the Velvet Goldmine soundtrack — think The Wylde Ratz. In fact, I would definitely suggest this for fans of Iggy and the Stooges and Against Me! This music is meant to be cranked up to extreme levels. I had it so loud I didn’t even hear my phone ringing.