Album: Illuminati Hotties - Power

From time to time, we all come across a band name that’s new to our ears and that raises a smile and the hope of some wild and original sounds. Illuminati Hotties is such a name.

However, Illuminati Hotties isn’t really a band – being the solo musical vehicle for Grammy-winning producer and engineer Sarah Tudzin. Unfortunately, Power isn’t really the home of any wild and original sounds, either. Instead, it is something of a single speed homage to the pop-grunge sound of the early 90s. At best, it digs deep in territory that has previously been mined extensively by the likes of the Lemonheads, Veruca Salt and the Breeders. However, there’s also plenty of rather light-weight stuff that would quite comfortably sit on one of Avril Lavigne’s lesser discs.

So, we get plenty of quiet-loud-quiet-loud fare on the previously released singles, “The L” and “Didn’t”; summery power pop on “Falling in Love with Somebody Better” and something a bit more jagged with occasional bursts of feedback on “What’s the Fuzz”. “YSL”, however, just offers big choruses and rather plodding verses and “I Would Like, Still Love You” is breezy but all a bit mid-paced.

I guess that this is great if you’ve never come across this kind of stuff before or have just bought your first Kurt Cobain T-shirt but, for those of us who have been around the block a few times, to say that Power is somewhat uninspired and heavily derivative is a serious understatement. Perhaps Turzin could do with recruiting some more Illuminati Hotties before she returns to the studio, to inject a heavy dose of originality into the music and then maybe she’ll be in a better position to record an album that really lives up to such a cracking band name.

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