Album Review: Colleen Green- I Want to Grow Up

Colleen Green

I Want to Grow Up

*** out of *****

Colleen Green has made a career of quirky stoner rock that sounded like (and often was) recorded in basements and garages, anywhere accessible. She takes a musical step up on her second album for Hardly Art as the Massachusetts native gets the help of Seattle based friends and the end result is a record that winningly recalls a mid-nineties mellow vibe in the vein of toned down Veruca Salt or easy-breasy Breeder tunes.

The slacker aura goes against Green's album title, which sounds great to anyone under 15 years old and idiotic to anyone older then that, but her sly simplistic tone hints at a sarcasm beneath the surface. That Generation X questioning feeling of drugs and isolation is addressed on the combo of "Things That Are Bad For Me (Parts I & II)" which builds to a screech and then seems to get summed up simply on "TV". That zoning out and bored nothingness is fostered wonderfully throughout by fuzzy guitars and Green's mid range vocals.

The full band backing Green includes Casey Weissbuch of Diarrhea Planet and Jake Orrall from JEFF the Brotherhood. That added punch pushes the poppy punk dial up just enough to infect these tracks with ear catching style and cracking drums when needed such as on "Pay Attention" and "Grind My Teeth". Orrall takes over production that sits firmly in 1997 land which matches Green's aesthetic perfectly.

The decades shift to the 80's for the drum machine led closer "Whatever I Want" and "Deeper Than Love" which gets extremely personal lyrically, but drifts repetitively, musically, at over six minutes. The questioning upbeat heartbreak of "Some People" shows off Green's knack of singing heartfelt and removed at the same time, doing it over an accordion is a nice trick as well.   
   
Green's lyrics have the journal entry vibe of distracted/disaffected teenagers and while not reinventing anything they get the point across with a tender air, while remaining aloof. Her personal injection mixed with the production/playing form her most complete work with I Want to Grow Up.  
_______________________________________________________________________
A cool little release after a bigger one yesterday. Both are good to great in their own way.

Support the artist here, stream the album here, buy the album here and peep some video below: