| CD REVIEW Melissa Auf Der Maur |
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Band : Melissa Auf Der Maur Walking around with the several ideas in my mind about how to tackle the review of Melissa Auf Der Maur’s sophomore album for about a week (during which I’d had some listening sessions in preparation) now, I kinda felt like I’d already done it and sent it in…but nothing is father from the truth. Well, here goes… Canadian musician Auf Der Maur (residing in Montréal) started her musical career at a rather late age, receiving (at her own request) her first bass from her father at the age of 21 as a birthday gift. Before that, she had attended performing arts high school F.A.C.E. School, and after got a photography major at Concordia University. Most of you will know her from her tenure with Hole and the fact that she toured as live bassist for Smashing Pumpkins at one time. In fact both things are related. She struck a friendship with Billy Corgan after apologizing for a friend whom had thrown a bottle at the Smashing Pumpkins frontman during a Montréal concert. When the Pumpkiins returned to Montréal in 1993, he thought of Melissa’s band Tinker (would release, both in 1994, two relatively successful albums in Canada) to support them…and later, when Hole’s bassist died, he recommended Melissa to Courtney Love. The story goes that Melissa at first declined, feeling at ease in her Canadian world, and only conceeded to sign a 5-year contract with Hole after continued persistence of Love. During that period, Melissa contributed to a host of other artists’ albums : to Blinker The Star’s 1996 A Bourgeois Kitten album; to the song “Grammercy Park Hotel” onBen Lee’s 1997 Something To Remember Me By album; to Constant Comment’s 1997 Fire Cracker album; bass and backing vocals to former The Cars frontman Ric Ocasek’s 1997 solo album Troubelizing (even briefly joined him on the ensuing tour); to Cecil Seaskull’s 1998 Whoever album, to Idaho’s 1998 album Alas; to the song “Beige Deluxe” on Steve Durand’s 1999 Capsule Living album (by the way, Durand was Melissa’s boyfriend in the days they started Tinker); to the track “April Fools” on schooldays friend Rufus Wainwright’s 1999 album Scar…and recorded the 1998 Celebrity Skin album with Hole. Her contract with Hole finalized in late 1999, Melissa was again free to do as she pleased, and one of the first things she did was to contribute to a song on the 2000 Smashing Pumpkins album Judas...and then toured with the band. After a contribution to Rufus Wainwright’s 2001 album Poses, Melissa fronted Black Sabbath covers band Hand Of Doom, playing a number of shows and releasing an untitled album in 2002. That same year Melissa contributed to the song “Le Grand Secret” on French cult band Indochine’s album Paradize, singing a duet, appeared in the song’s video clip, and even joined the band on stage in France for a couple of gigs. Still in the same year, she got together with former Hole drummer Samantha Maloney (also formerly of Mötley Crüe and Peaches), Paz Lenchantin (of A Perfect Circle) and Radio Sloan (also of Peaches, and the Need) to play a show as The Chelsea (named after the new York hotel where Melissa had been staying for a couple of years) in Los Angeles, performing both original songs and some covers. Courtney Love was later to adopt the band as her backing band to tour for her first solo album (later re-naming the band to The Courtney Love Band), but only Maloney and Sloan would remain. Collaborations to other people’s albums would include Jesse Malin’s The Fine Art Of Self Destruction (2002), All Systems Go’s Mon Chi Chi (2003), and Ryan Adams’s Rock ‘n’ Roll (2003). Around that point Melissa started tinkering with the idea of a solo album and, reconnecting with guitarist Steve Durand, released her self-titled debut in 2004. The album faired pretty well, getting to the #187 position in the US charts, and to #31 in the UK and receiving plenty of airplay on modern Rock radio stations for the 3 singles that were culled from it. That same year, Auf Der Maur (the band) supported Matthew Good on his Put Out Your Lights Tour, The Offspring on their Splinter tour, and was part of the Love Metal Tour (also featuring HIM) and Curiosa. There’s a bit of a blanc in my info sources about the possible live activities after that, but I dó know that Melissa herself continued to contribute to other artists’ albums: The Stills’ 2006 album Without Feathers, Uncut’s Modern Currencies (2006), Fountains Of Wayne’s Traffic And Weather (2007, only on the track “Someone To Love”, which became a hit single), and Neverending White Lights’ Act 2: Blood & The Life Eternal (2007, only on the song “The World Is Darker”). In 2006 Melissa was included (alongside Joan Jett, Liz Phair, and Courtney Love) in a list of “Hottest Women Of Rock” compiled by Blender Magazine. Rumours anyone? In early 2006 Smashing Pumpkins was reformed, and rumours were goin’ that Melissa might join. Her comment: “My services are always available to play my favourite songs. If D’arcy is not available, I’m always happy to be second in line!” More rumours? In June 2009 Courtney Love announced that Hole were reforming, and would have Melissa on the bass. Something which came as quite a surprise to the latter, since she’d never been asked! In a 2007 interview Melissa announced having finished her sophomore solo album, to go hand in hand with a graphic novel and a concept film. A website (xMAdMx.com) containing teasers of the project as well as a movie trailer, was launched in August 2007. Then, in 2008, Glenn Danzig recorded a duet with Melissa on the track “Father’s Grave”. Eventually, on November 2008, an EP for the song “This Would Be Paradise”, containing also 2 other songs,was released through iTunes and the website. Exactly a year later (give 2 days), the title track of the naw album was made available as a free download single, and on January 12 the video for the track made its debut on Melissa’s website. The concept movie toured around several US film festivals, was shows at various theatres, starting August 2009 (and was even featured at a Sitges, Spain festival). In late November, Auf Der Maur supported Stone Temple Pilots on their Canadian tour, then did a couple of shows in Alberta (Canada) and returned to the live front in March 2010, making a trial run in Toronto before heading out to Austin, Texas’ South By Southwest extravaganza. By the time you read this, MAdM may already have returned towards the West, having played a select amount of dates in Europe (Paris, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Oslo, London). If you ask me to describe Auf Der Maur stylistically, musically speaking, I would have to admit I’d rather not dare to make any specifications. Generally speaking, you may put it down as “Alternative Rock” with a slight progressive touch, and wonderful, truly great vocals! I mean, in her category of music, Melissa is an artist of the voice, a True Great Singer! On top, she has the capacity to write songs that stick to your skin. I wish there would be more songs posted at myspace.com/xmadmx (only “ at this moments, and one from the debut album at that). Anyway, the title track posted should give you an idea. When you give ‘em half a chance, other songs on the album will grown on you with each listening session, until they settle down in the back of your mind and become part of what you will later consider “Music Of All Times”! Like Auf Der Maur? Hell yeah…and just to be safe, heavens yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah!!! 98/100 Tony. |