Athens, Georgia quartet
Tunabunny's third album is another fierce, fun, and impressive outing. Drawing from the power of punk, the ferocity of riot grrrl, and the anything-goes spirit of similarly wild and loose bands through the ages (such as fellow townies
the B-52s), the two guys and two girls make a noise that is both liberating and fascinating. The focal point of their sound is the vocals of Brigette Herron, who has a snarl that could scare the toughest hardhat and a beguiling croon that contrasts nicely when she breaks it out. When she teams with Mary Jane Hassell to sing in unison (or rough harmonies), they create a powerful racket that headphones can barely contain. This time out, new drummer Jesse Stinnard gives their sound a sturdier base; he pushes them forward powerfully on uptempo tracks like "Duchess for Nothing" and lays back on the slower numbers. The whole band sounds more together too, with increased subtlety and almost hitting a groove a few times. Along with the tighter sound,
Tunabunny deliver a strong batch of songs that equal anything, say,
Huggy Bear ever did for melody, and if they lack some of the danger of the first wave of riot grrrl, it's only because times have changed and it's almost impossible for bands to capture anyone's attention anymore. Unless they get thrown in jail in Russia.
Tunabunny won't be getting tossed in the clink anytime soon, but they have made an exciting album that anyone who has any affinity for intelligent, exciting, and passionate music, but doesn't care too much about the niceties of tuning, should jump on right away. ~ Tim Sendra