Sunday, April 27, 2008
A+E, Music, Reviews

Jucifer

“L’Autrichienne”  (Relapse)

CREDIT: Scott Kincade

JUCIFER
w/Abby Travis, Herman Put Down the Gun
Saturday, May 3
Star Bar
$10                                                                                                                 
404-681-9018
www.starbaratlanta.com

The fourth release in nearly a decade from this Athens duo is both its most and least accessible album. It’s also staunchly indie, as vocalist/guitarist Amber Valentine and drummer Ed Livengood plow though hardcore, death metal, punk and even a few comparatively poppy, Pixies-influenced tunes. It’s a 70-minute earthquake of those styles and some new ones, like the breathy, sexy, dark folk of “Fleur de Lis.”
   
While some might find this mix-and-match approach disconcerting, the duo hones its sparse, bass-free instrumentation for maximum piledriving impact. Jucifer has always been edgy, but seldom has it sounded this tight and directed. “L’Autrichienne” (“The Austrian Woman”) is really guitarist-singer Valentine’s show, displaying both her sweet and demonic sides and showcasing her maturation into an accomplished, intense instrumentalist and vocalist, comfortably talk-singing through the minor-key sludge of “Deficit.” She’s unafraid to meekly accompany her stripped-down guitar with hushed simplicity on “Champ de Mars,” only to scream like a wounded cat on the short bursts of frantic speed-metal that punctuate the track list. 
  
At nine minutes, “The Mountain” is the album’s longest tune, a lumbering Black Sabbath-style epic that plods and slithers through its mind-numbing paces, which includes the slowest, most deliberate drum solo ever. These 21 cuts take listeners along on a roller coaster ride with enough thrills and twists to engage any indie rocker’s tastes while agreeably expanding Jucifer’s musical palette. 3 STARS—Hal Horowitz