Like Pumping Gas on Fire
© Copyright-Mattress Actress
Record Label: Mattress Actress
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XXXaudio - The Band
Denise Maupin: Vocals, guitar. Hails most recently from the Delusions, writes the basic format for all the songs, and comes from old school new wave and the indie side of things.
Brian Burnside: Guitar, vocals. In the Bali girls for the most part of the 90's, Brian brings the swirly nonsensical but structured noises to XXXaudio. He comes from the depths of butt-rock heaven as a youth, into the heavy durge alternative world of the 80's, into now.
Lee: Drums.
Slice Kraft: Bass. Known as Brian Kraft when he was in Engine kid, he has also played bass in the Bali girls for a few years. His melodic side shines on the CD.
Dan Infecto: Bass. The newest member since the post recording departure of Slice. Dan brings all that bass is supposed to be, solid and heavy. Dan hails from Me Infecto, Neo and Christopher Blue.
The Story
In mid 2001, Denise was on tour playing bass with The Delusions for the second year in a row, opening for Built to Spill. You would think that would be enough, but she yearned for something different. So in late 01, she gathered up some of her close friends and started pumping out her own songs. By the end of the year, with everyone on board, she quit the Delusions and put everything into XXXaudio. The end result was what can be best described as post punk melodic noise rock. Simple but slightly obscure.
The Stranger/Jennifer Maerz says:
"XXXaudio map out punchy rock songs that at times sound like the Pixies (in the guitars) and the darker elements of garage punk (in the murkier undertones of there music). The band is fronted by Denise Maupin, whose voice carries the project from pop anthems, to more melancholy rockers, swaggering between the two sides with confident range."
As of now, they play whenever and whatever. They have had the pleasure of opening for some great bands such as X, Pretty Girls Make Graves and Bluebird to name a few.
The new year brought the first full length Like Pumping Gas on Fire. If not for the need to get it out asap, they would probably still be in there mixing. The result is a raw live sound, recorded on 1" 16 track, with only a few little studio tricks (the audio part).
The Future
XXXaudio are driving hard and continuing to play and record as much as possible. They are already hard at work on the next recording project, an upcoming EP. Watch for it, and look for a chance to see them live!
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Hard-charging, female-fronted rock and roll
author: Splendid Magazine
XXX Audio plays the kind of hard-charging, female-fronted rock and roll defined by a slew of '90s indie bands -- Throwing Muses, Breeders, Tsunami -- and does it well. Denise Maupin sings like a smart girl with a past -- melodic, tough, bereft of illusions, but occasionally quite sweet. Sounding a good bit like Jenny Toomey, she holds her own with a croon or a whisper, rising above the din of guitar and crunch of bass without visible effort. She can do the howl or the wail, too, but like Debra Harry or Chrissy Hynde, she sounds best when she's keeping something in reserve. The rest of the band -- Brian Burnside on guitars, Slicey Kraft on bass and Lee Taylor on drums -- provides the muscular underpinnings to her siren call, powering the churning pop of "Reptile", the lush '90s haze of "House of Cards" and the slow, bass-driven groove of "Static". These are all memorable songs, built on simple, repetitive hooks that slash and cut around Maupin's singing. There's something magic about the way that the "Hey, Hey" chorus of "Death By Public Transportation" bounces off the garagey guitar riff (It sounds a bit like the Romantics' "What I Like About You"), and it is this juxtaposition of sinuous singing and hot-wired riffs that makes Like Pumping Gas on Fire so enjoyable. This is good stuff -- maybe not great yet, but showing lots of potential
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Post punk indie noise rock band which stands out a bit from the crowd
author: Kickmesign
Female led punk and post punk bands are almost always a refreshing listen. Denise Maulpin heads up XXXAudio, a post punk indie noise rock band which stands out a bit from the crowd with stellar dual male/female vocals. The songs are short, punchy and oddly melodic with a fuzzy overlying haze. Think if some of the early dark guitar sound from the Jesus And Mary Chain...you'll hear some small resemblance in some of the intro material on the disc.
Maulpin's voice is capable of little girl innocence and world weary frustrated growls. There's a nice mixture of vocal style on the album. Sometimes she's alone and raucous, sometimes she and Brian Burnside put together sweetly pretty harmonies.
The disc is a nice mix of the old and the new with some early punk "hey, hey" choruses, repetitive and staggering vocals and some really interesting indie rock guitar sound. Are they treading any incredibly new ground? Probably not...although they certainly aren't paying tribute to any one influence. Listen hard and you might hear glimmers of the Pixies, the Ramones, Veruca Salt, Throwing Muses, Siouxsie, Tilt and even a bit of Built to Spill (based on Maulpin's lengthy time touring as an opening band with BTS).
The real draw here has to be Maulpin's vocal style and intrigue throughout the album. Never pop perfect, there's plenty of emotion and raw power, some might liken it to Courtney Love, but I found it much more tuneful. It's got grit and good intention even when it occasionally falls flat. It's backed by solid indie rock, with the requisite fuzzy guitars, slip-slide bass and strong rhythm.
If you're looking for a new female fronted indie/modern band to replace your loss of what was once Veruca Salt, Throwing Muses, Concrete Blonde, etc., this disc just might be the ticket. The band isn't a parody or copycat of any of the bands mentioned, not in the least. But the listening experience will probably appeal to followers of those artists. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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