Mark’s Pick of the Week: Sock it To Me by Colleen Green

            Today Colleen Green’s new album finally came out, and I’ve already listened to it several times!  The self proclaimed “stoner pop” artist found her way onto my radar a little while back and since then I have immersed myself in all the music I can find by her.  She kind of sounds like if the girl from Best Coast got really into Beat Happening and started making music on a tape deck in her garage.  The whole record has a beautifully abrasive fuzziness that is all to familiar to anyone who has done any home recording of their own. 

            For the most part everything on the album is pretty much “get-what-you-expect.”  There is guitar, bass, drums, vocals, and feedback.  Nothing about the musicianship really blows you away, but then again that’s not what you’re here for.  Instead you’ve got really good song structure.  With just a few ingredients she manages to fill up the tracks with tons of emotion and meaning.  Everything works together to make something you can bob your head to.  The tracks are a lot of fun, which is something you can’t say about every great album.

            Green specifically really shins in her lyrics.  Over all the humming that goes on we get a great a surprisingly sweet delivery compared to the dirty sound of the instruments, however, this contrast certainly magnifies her chops.  The lyrics are fantastic as well.  Most every song (at least the ones I can make out) is about life and love in a way that’s both relatable, and pretty unique.  There are songs about how cool a boy is, how she wishes she were normal, and how she doesn’t want to talk to anyone.  Hell, there are a lot of people who think all three of those things at once, and Ms. Green gives them all fantastic representation.

            I would have to disclaim that this album isn’t for everyone.  If you like Best Coast, The Ramones, Beat Happening, The Dum Dum Girls or the like then you’ll probably get a big kick out of this LP.  If not…well…thanks for reading anyway.  There are a lot of really great gems on this record, and after hearing it for the (I lost count) time today there's still a lot to find.  You can get some the tracks off her new album on her Hardly Art Page.  Also check out her facebook, and bandcamp for some of her older release (which are also really good)

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