All-girl trio
the Kirby Grips (Brit slang for "bobby pins") are all over the pop map on Rotations. On the one hand, you've got to admire the Bay Area band's catchiness and versatility; on the other, the lack of a more unified "voice" can make for a somewhat exasperating listen. Then again, guitarist China Tamblyn has described their music as "a hodgepodge" of various influences, including garage, folk, and '60s girl group pop. She is joined by Liz Byrne on bass and Michele Kappel on drums; all three share vocal duties. The band's label, Sympathy for the Record Industry, compares them to
the Jam,
Neil Young,
Brenda Lee,
the Ronettes,
the Kinks, and
Blondie (they cover the latter's "Hanging on the Telephone" on Sympathy's How Many Bands Does It Take to Screw Up a Blondie Tribute?). The last track on Rotations, "Flying 1," even incorporates dub and rap into an On-U-Sound-style mélange. It is one of the album's highlights, along with the loopy
Dickies-meets-
Banana Splits "Villa Allegre" ("La la la / La la-la la"). ~ Kathleen C. Fennessy