MattA75's Full Review: Aurora Gory Alice by Letters To Cleo
BACKGROUND
Most people know of the Boston based pop-rock band Letters to Cleo from one of two things. The first is they know their minor hit Here and Now which was featured on the Melrose Place soundtrack. The second is they saw their appearances in the teen flick (and soundtrack) last year in 10 Things I Hate About You. As I mentioned in the first line, the band is from Boston, and they have a very distinct pop-rock sound that's very upbeat and catchy. The band consisted of:
Kay Hanley:lead vocals
Michael Eisenstein:lead guitar (and Kay's husband)
Greg McKenna:rhythm guitar
Scott Riebling:bass
Stacy Jones:drums (some of you may also know Stacy through his work with Veruca Salt, and now, with Nina Gordon, formerly of VS)
Sadly, I say consisted because the band broke up earlier this year, playing their last show in May here in Boston. They managed to release a total of four albums, the first of which was entitled Aurora Gory Alice, and was released in 1993.
The Album
Aurora Gory Alice is both melodic and powerful, catchy, yet hard rocking. Most of you have probably heard Here And Now. For those who haven't, it's a rather straight forward pop-rock song with a tongue twister for a chorus. For those who have heard it, you're probably wondering what the hell Kay is singing. Well, she's singing "The comfort of a rise above the sky but could never parallel the challenge of an acquisition in the here and now."
My personal favorite song on the album is the breezy I See, another song that has catchy lyrics and a great melody. Lead guitarist Eisenstein shines on this track, creating a free flowing riff that melds perfectly with Kay's voice.
There really isn't a bad song on the record, truth be told. However, the originality of the material holds this back from being a five star record. While Hanley's lyrics are not weak here by any means, they still don't exactly hold up when compared to later material, where she really shines and shows off her growth as a songwriter.
Another problem is that many of the songs are very similar in structure and sound. The basic chord patterns of the songs become very familiar after a few listens, and while there is some very good drum and guitar work on here, a lot of it is repetitive. Hanley does her best to make up for it with her energetic vocals and engaging singing style (where you can literally see the smile on her face most times as you hear her sing), but in the end, she can't carry the group.
Aurora Gory Alice is not a bad record, but the simplicity of songs like Big Star and Come Around stop working after multiple listens. I recommend this effort, but not with the same gusto I would recommend their third and best effort, Go!.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.