Rose Mountain

Screaming Females

What I love about Screaming Females is the dedication to making very straightforward, no frills, rock 'n' roll. Often times there is just drums, bass, maybe some double tracked guitar, a vocal and that's about it. Even the production and the mix is incredibly dry, no tricks or gimmicks to hide performance or songwriting blemishes, not that they come up very often anyway. Another thing in Screaming Females' corner is a legitimate rock superstar in the form of Marissa Paternoster. On the guitar, she absolutely rips and is capable of coming up with some God level guitar riffs. She also has this incredibly unique vocal tone. She has the capability to create these very open, I would say more traditional vocal sounds, but perhaps more distinctively, can flip to a nasally snarl with a super wide vibrato. Between her voice and guitar, Paternoster exudes so much confidence, spirit, and punk attitude. Of course, she is supported by bassist King Mike and drummer Jarrett Dougherty, who together, create a strong rhythmic foundation.

The first track that really grabs is the tender Wishing Well. This track is not really propelled by a catchy riff, but more from Paternoster's emotional vulnerability. The lyrics seem to depict a failed relationship as a result of one's negative self-perception. I love the double meaning in the chorus: dumping your change in a wishing well, hoping that they can become stable enough to maintain a healthy relationship, and simultaneously alluding to the fact that all previous attempts to change their behaviour was short-lived before reverting back to their usual self. Broken Neck by comparison is all about the performance and songwriting. We have these verses that are quite meek, but has a little bit of a mysterious streak. The choruses reveal that terrifying mystery with panic chords and Paternoster's tortured performance. The end of the track, which is my favourite part, is more melodic but still very manic in the guitar and vocal performances. Most notably, Paternoster delivers an almost devilish and unhinged vocal that I really love.

In the middle of the record, we have these two slow burners, Rose Mountain and Hopeless. The former, in my opinion, is the weakest track on the record, partially because of the song's intro. It spends more than a minute building tension and foreshadowing a brooding, heavy rock moment, but that is not at all what the song ends up delivering. The cognitive dissonance is just too much for me to overcome. Hopeless, however, is one of my favourites. I love the sound of the drums on this one. They are dampened and sound quite small, matching the timid, self-effacing persona that Paternoster is revealing. I love the changes in vocal inflections at the end where she digs in a little more into her snarl and vibrato on particular lines, and I also find the vocal harmonies deeply affecting.

The album culminates with a surge of guitar heroism in the form of Criminal Image, a song that kicks off with an absolutely spectacular riff that just goes, truly one of the best in modern rock. Paternoster also delivers a lengthy, fiery, fuzz guitar solo on the back half of the track that feels like such a climactic and fitting way to close the album. There's lots of great guitar moments on this record, but on this song, it feels like Paternoster pulled out all the stops. She really speaks with her guitar just as effectively as she does with her voice, a quality that you typically only find in the greatest of rock legends.

I'm sure I've said this before, but I'll make the point again. A lot of people say that rock is dead, there are no more true blue guitar driven rock bands these days. Well Screaming Females are an example to illustrate that is simply not the case. You just have to be willing to look for it, and champion those few special acts that are keeping that spirit alive. Screaming Females are certainly ones to be championed, having done it for a surprisingly long period of time. Rose Mountain reflects that experience and seasoned artistry throughout it's fairly consistent runtime. Make sure to give this one a shot if you're in the market for some good ol' fashioned rock.