If
Exene Cervenka hooked up with
the Jesus and Mary Chain, they all got wrecked on cheap malt liquor, and they jammed together for a few hours, you might get something that closely resembles
Space and Time, the second LP from Miss Alex White & the Red Orchestra. White's gale-force vocals strike the same balance between the passionate and the precarious as
X's frontwoman, and while
the Red Orchestra (featuring former members of Detroit slop-punk mavens
the Clone Defects) may lack the polish and willful pose of
the Reid Brothers, their fondness for noisy guitar solos, feedback and pounding drums puts them in a similar league. While
Space and Time is loud and raunchy as all get out, it also generates a real sense of drama, and the songs are more than just an excuse for these folks to make noise; "Lips and Crime" and "Poison Arrow" are potent descents into the sonic void, the title cut is a rollicking celebration of White's significant other, "I Dig History" shows these folks can sink a pop hook into this stuff when they feel like it, and "Squeaky Clean" brings this show to a close with gloriously noisy finality. White and her band may keep things simple on this album, but they connect with both muscle and musical street smarts, and the result is a wild and sweaty good time preserved for the ages. Fine stuff. ~ Mark Deming