Album Notes

One unfortunate reality of our ironic times is that people have a hard time taking sincerity seriously--with Beck and others steering the postmodern course of alternative rock, there doesn't seem to be much room for artists who simply say what they mean, as passionately as they can. So it's heartening to see that New York City pop-rock act Antigone Rising seem to be getting a foothold in the marketplace, because their fiery sound harks back to a time before the rock stance evolved from casual cool to pure insouciance. The five women who comprise the band have attitude to spare, mind you, and they can strike a sonic pose as well as anybody else. But they also believe in the power of colorful melodies, strong hooks and accessible lyrics. On their recently issued full-length disc, Rock Album, the quintet blow through 10 cuts that they sharpened on the road, then tricked up in the studio. The flavors range from the anthemic rock of "No More Alone" to the confessional pop of "Long Shot" to the crunchy barroom grooves of "(Feel Like) I Know Nothin' " and even to the disco swagger of "Honest Mistake." While individual elements of the Antigone sound punch through the mix, such as one-named front woman Cassidy's ferocious vocals and lead guitarist Cathy Henderson's seemingly endless vocabulary of expressive colorations, the principal appeal is how fucking tight Antigone are. The band, who produced the disc themselves, know exactly the radio-friendly sound they're after, and know exactly how to achieve that sound. From the focused, intense playing to the decorative studio trills they layer on top of it, Antigone attack their songs with a confidence that's contagious. The band's sense of urgency also shows in the songs themselves. While "Run For Your Life" and the priceless kiss-off "Choke" have a pulse-accelerating immediacy, it's just as easy to hear the band's power in midtempo numbers such as "Abalene" and "She Lived Here." One of the band's best habits is how they vary their sound, so even when they're crafting restrained grooves, intensity surges under the skin. In fact, the album's most arresting song may be the soft-spoken bonus track, an acoustic mix of "Long Shot." A memory piece about a one-night stand that's written and sung by Cassidy, the number proves that even though Antigone thrive when they're going full-throttle, they steer just as true a course when they're cruising. (www.antigonerising.com) --Peter Hanson