As music enthusiasts continue to scrape the barrel for rock gems of the 90's to reminisce over, Daisy Chainsaw will always stand out as one of alternative rock's neglected children. Reasons as to why this UK quintet never blossomed into something more reputable aren't too abstruse: the band's 1992 debut-and-only full length (disregarding For They Know Not What They Do) Eleventeen didn't obtain the rock n' roll machismo of the decade's heavy hitters. Instead, they displayed something much more odd-- yet much more essential.
Eleventeen's lead single, "Love Your Money," is the most lavish and poppy that Daisy Chainsaw perceive themselves: a marching band anthem leading the anti-establishment parade, merrily cheering "fuck you" to the industry. Though containing quite a memorable hook and an undeniably uplifting refrain, it pales in comparison to the demented genius taking place within the majority of Eleventeen. The opener "I Feel Insane" stresses this with vocalist Katie Jane Garside's chuckling over feedback-ridden guitar shrieks and an intolerant, rebellious intuition.
The album's most restrained foray "Natural Man" could be considered 'filler' or a 'breather' if it weren't for how uniquely it stood among other tracks with its country slide guitar, uneasy falsettos and cauldron-like effervescence. Following that, Daisy Chainsaw provide their deepest descent into purgatory with "Lovely Ugly Brutal World"-- an apocalyptic, decaying behemoth with hellish interjections (see 1:00) accentuating the madness.
The final two "Waiting For The Wolves" and "Everything Is Weird" close the curtains perfectly. The former is, in a way, the album's manifesto; it isn't the most well-written, memorable, or overall stellar-- but it is puzzlingly ambitious, bringing Eleventeen to a beautiful climax. Entering "Everything Is Weird," the final broadcast, suffering from corrosion as the bent tapping and hymnal repetition are progressively tuned out by radio interference.
Daisy Chainsaw's opposition to conformity and bizarre nature not only emitted from their songwriting, but also translated into studio trickery. Intentionally out-of-key harmonization, pitch-shifting, echoing textures, and an embrace of noise are all abundant here. Producer and guitarist Crispin Gray impeccably captured Daisy Chainsaw's aura with a thick, churning sound with dysfunctional manipulations.
Despite the fact that Eleventeen is the only Daisy Chainsaw album featuring Garside, the band's ingenuity distended onto EPs and singles that make me question their absence on a full-length. A couple of these include the vibrato-compulsive "Propeller Punch" and the expansive noise rock jam "Room Eleven." Daisy Chainsaw proposed a unparalleled sound, one that could have left a dent in rock music-- if only more than the cast of Roseanne were listening.
[Daisy Chainsaw Myspace]
[Buy Eleventeen from One Little Indian]
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