The Cords' two albums tend to be pretty monochromatic, so it's important to consider musical context when evaluating them -- by these standards, 1993's
Taurus No Bull is definitely the better. That's not to say that it's particularly impressive -- the band can pretty easily be described with a single
Babes in Toyland references, meaning that
Taurus No Bull is a decent but largely unnecessary entry into late-period riot-grrl-ism. An interesting conundrum emerges, however: 1997's Hear! See! Feel! tend to fare better with this sound than
Taurus No Bull does -- but at the same time, this sound was growing somewhat tired as of 1993, and it's practically unconscionable that the Cords should be releasing the same sort of work toward the tail end of the decade. ~ Nitsuh Abebe