Customer Reviews

Fontanelle

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the strangest things about the Lilith Fair, which advertised itself as "A Celebration of Women in Rock", was that there was no real rock represented. Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, Indigo Girls? What's missing from that equation? Rock. The fact that it was so hyped is just as troubling because it reinforces the uneducated mainstream opinion there is no real rock music being made by women today. That conclusion would be grossly inacurate. Some of the best rock of the 90s was made by PJ Harvey, The Breeders, Sleater-Kinney, Bikini Kill, Hole (until that "Celebrity Skin" fiasco) and Babes in Toyland.

Babes in Toyland is one of the best of the groups I just mentioned and "Fontanelle", their first full length album shows them in all their power. The three piece musical arrangements are decidedly primitive that's one of the things that makes Babes in Toyland so compelling, especially when combined with Kat Bjelland's ferocious vocals. No one, man or woman, can do the things vocally that Kat Bjelland can. She has the remarkable ability to scream at the listener non-stop over the near-forty minutes of this album, but in such a way that is undeniably pleasurable to listen to. There is one chilling moment on "Mother" the thirteenth song on the album when she goes from a full throated growl to a sharp, sustained scream in a single breath. That is what I call singing.

The lyrics are easy to miss here, thanks to Kat's vocal style and the grittiness of the music but they hold up well against the rest of the albums principle components. They are bitter, angry and intense, if not terribly poetic. They justify the sonic brutality of the album and make perfect sense. The rage here is real and believable. Babes in Toyland rock like no other women on the planet.

I don't give away 5 stars lightly so you'll have to trust me when I recommend this album. If you are a fan of Hole, punk rock, female rock or if you're desperate to find music that is top shelf quality, then this is your album. Every song on here is excellent, and you simply don't get that kind of quality anymore, with a few exceptions, like maybe Interpol. Babes in Toyland were CHICKS WITH BALLS! Excellent for bitter mornings, rage filled evenings or upbeat afternoons, "Fontanelle" makes you want to go out and dye your hair blue or something. After listening to this record, you'll want to smack Ashlee Simpson and Hillary Duff across the face and force feed them canned beans. I want to shout it from the rooftops this album is so amazing.

After getting this one back after having been gone for a few years Im never surprised at how much it makes me smile.

Life without Bruise Violet or Handsome and Grettle would be unbearable indeed.

What ever happened to Kat?

Back in the early, Minneapolis was home to some of the best post-punk bands such as Husker Du, The Replacements, Soul Asylum (before they sold out), and my personal favorite Babes in Toyland. Back in the early '90s when I was still in high school, I was searching for my niche in live. I needed something that had meaning and that I could belong to. I discovered punk music. Everyone else in high school were either into heavy metal or hip hop/r&b music. Neither was my cup of tea. One of the first punk bands I discovered was Babes in Toyland. I bought "Fontanelle" one day and was completely blown away by the intense lyrics and vocals by Kat Bjelland and the powerful drumming of Lori Barbero (best drummer hands down). Wanna know where Courtney Love got her babydoll look from? She ripped it off from Kat Bjelland. Courtney merely introduced that look to the mainstream masses when "Live Through This" came out. Throughout my sophomore year in high school I lived on bands such as Babes in Toyland, The Rollins Band, L7, Social Distortion, 7 Year B***h, and The Gits. Their music challenged me with their ferocious vocals and angst-filled lyrics. I heard and felt the alienation that Kat sang through her music especially through songs such as "Bruise Violet" (an ode to Kat's former bandmate Courtney) and "Hansome & Gretel". Lori Barbero is truly one of the best drummers I had ever heard, man or woman. You can hear her sheer power throughout "Fontanelle". Lori even gets the opportunity to sing on "Magick Flute". I hadn't heard "Fontanelle" in years until now. Listening to it again brings back the memories of my love for modern rock (before it was co-opted by Clear Channel). I wish music today was as exciting it was a decade ago.

This is easily Babes in Toyland's best record. It's missing a couple of essential songs ("Catatonic" and "Lashes"), but as a whole it shines. The emotion is raw, both abused and abusive, and, unlike many bands that get lumped into "riot grrrl", the most scathing taunts that Babes in Toyland has to offer are directed toward other women. Fontanelle is a fountain of self hate, misdirected anger, and it is perfect. It'll make you angry and sad, and you won't regret a minute of it.

I consider Fontanelle the best of Babes in Toyland, anyone who likes riot grrl music should have this album in their collection. If you`re not into riot grrl you can buy it as well cause the music is still great.

Simply put, if you're into straight-ahead punk rock, this album will knock your socks off. If your idea of punk rock is Blink 182, don't bother. There are no goofy radio ballads here. In intensity and listenability, Fontanelle is somewhere between The Distillers 'Coral Fang' and Hole's 'Live Through This'. Good soundtrack for a fast drive through a war zone - a corporate dinner party? Not so much. Why else would it be named after the soft spot in a baby's skull?

I must say Kat's voice is very raw, and her lyrics are very straight forward and angry. Fontanelle is somewhat like Hole's Pretty On The Inside, but it more commerical, and in my opinion its better. I really liked this CD and think that these songs were best:

Bruise Violet, Bluebell, Handsome and Gretel, Won't Tell and Spun, but all of them are really good, and if you're into the riot grrl, alternative scene, I suggest you get this CD and Hole's CDs, L7 is good band as well.

Babes in Toyland is my favorite band from the Saint Paul/Minneapolis area. I hold them with the same high regards as locals have for Prince. I think Babes in Toyland is the band that Courtney Love and Hole wishes that they could be. I always felt in the national alternative music scene that Babes in Toyland were vastly ignored and unappreciated.

My favorite Babes in Toyland cd is FONTANELLE. It is 37 minutes of blistering punk music. You can definitely hear where Courtney Love gets her inspiration from in Kat Bjelland's caustic, abrasive vocals. Like Love, Kat goes back and forth from singing sweetly to screaming like a banshee. The rage just seeps out of Kat's voice. She totally rips on the opening track "Bruise Violet" and "Handsome and Gretyl". Kat's guitar skills is more than adequate, better than a lot of the women in the riot grrl movement that weren't really concerned with abilities and more so with the message that they were sending. Drummer Lori Barbero is really the heart and soul of the band with her thunderous skills that rivals most men. Lori even steps up to the mic to sing on a couple of tracks like "Blood" and "Magick Flute" (two of my personal favorite songs on the cd). Lori's powerful drumming abilities comes to light on those two songs in particular.

I haven't listened to FONTANELLE in years and just re-discovered one of my favorite albums from high school. The music still sounds amazingly fresh and new to my ears. The angst and fury in the lyrics do not sound trite and phoney like in today's music (especially female artists).

This record is the Babes best work to date.Such songs as "Blood,""Real Eyes," and the 90's punk/grunge ode to Courtney Love,"Bruise Violet," are full of vibrant,sheer electricity.Straight from the first chord to the last plaintive howl,the Babes make sure you feel what they feel.
tracks listed:
1.Bruise Violet
2.Right Now
3.Bluebell
4.Handsome and Gretel
5.Blood
6.Magick Flute
7.Won't Tell
8.Quiet Room
9.Spun
10.short song(untitled hidden track)
11.Jungle Train
12.Pearl

13.Real Eyes
14.Mother
15.Gone
The only songs I dont really care for are "Gone,""Jungle Train," and "Magick Flute," and that's because 2 out of 3 of those songs are sung by drummer Lori Barbero,and I don't like her singing too much.The other doesnt have much of a hook or beat to it.This album is one of the great,classic punk-grunge albums of the 1990's,and was smack in the middle of the exciting riotgrrl/grunge/foxcore era,as were the Babes.Buy this album,you will NOT be disappointed.This will turn anyone into a punk enthusiast.