Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure

Juliana Hatfield | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 16, 2000)
• Original Release Date: May 16, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Zoe Records
• ASIN: B00004T9S1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,524 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After recording her Beautiful Creature album, Juliana Hatfield wanted to kick it up a notch. Recruiting pals Mikey Welch (Weezer) and Zephan Courtney, the trio quickly banged out Total System Failure, easily the loudest work Hatfield has done since her days in the Blake Babies. Those who thought that the Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter has gone all soft and frilly will relish the festive feedback and fuzztone, which is also sure to alienate plenty of listeners. Welch and Courtney hold down the rhythmic fort, allowing Hatfield plenty of room to scream, solo, and scream some more. While certain to be compared to Hole, the spirit is closer to the Pretenders. It's not a consistent success, but Hatfield keeps it interesting with some bile-soaked lyrics ("Scary breeders, they have come with their sons and daughters / One by one, mean and dumb / Have another") and a healthy cage-rattling attitude. --Jason Josephes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Subtly unsubtle, July 20, 2000

By 

S. Johnston (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure (Audio CD)

From the opening track Juliana makes her point clear - she wants to assault your senses with noise. But to dismiss this album based on first impressions is to perhaps to miss the point. It can grow on you. I bought both this and Beautiful Creature at the same time, and proceeded to play the other album more. But slowly JP:TSF has started growing on me. Firstly, lyrically this album is really clever. Let's Get Married features great examples the typically laconic wit that's embedded throughout: "Torture the bridesmaids, make them wear lime green... Lie to the pastor, promise 'forever'... If you change your sweatpants I'll shave my legs..." Secondly, there's some good musical innovation and inventiveness here and there; belting changes in beat, edgy chord progressions, solid bass riffs and so forth. Unfortunately for those who prefer the little-girl-lost style Juliana, and for those still uninitiated to her brand of songwriting, these subtleties will be ignored as it's easy to be driven to distraction by the unsubtlety of all that distortion and those big fat riffy basslines. There's definitely a certain rawness laced throughout most songs, eg: "Metal Fume Fever" which reminds me a little of Nirvana's "Bleach" for displaced rawness. Despite initially preferring the softer edge of Beautiful Creature, I personally don't mind such harder-edged stuff, I've acquired the taste for Juliana's rugged sound; many others won't. Sure, it could wear your ears down if you don't develop the taste for it. Perhaps if there were more of a sprinkling of softer songs in between then some of the other reviewers here may have been kinder? I guess that's one of pitfalls of her dual album 'experiment', isolating all her heavier stuff on to this one album, making it potentially monotonous for some listeners. I say let this album grow on you, and reserve your final judgement of it until after you've seen her play it live (it should sound great live).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Really grows on you, February 13, 2004

By 

"surfer142" (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure (Audio CD)

I'll start by admitting that I have been a Juliana fan since her Blake Babies days. That said, I've read a variety of reviews on this disc and have to chime in with my two cents to say that IMO, it is a pretty darn good album. It took me awhile to get my head around it because it is quite a departure, but it really grows on you. I have always liked the harder side of Juliana (when she rocks-it-up in a song), particularly because she has a such a great songwriting knack of weaving good riffs into material primarily comprised of lighter musical fare (which provided the riffs with extra impact, of course). Total System Failure is different because the whole thing is pretty much a full bore barrage of guitars. But as I analyzed why I liked it so much, I came to the conclusion that a big part of it was due to the fact that Juliana's staple sarcasm and wit come through loud and clear on this one. She takes direct aim at middle America and cuts it in two in such as way that is vintage Juliana. I prefer this one over Beautiful Creature (which is also good, but not as energetic that's for sure).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ive got the fever, July 27, 2005

By 

Stinkface "specialneeds" (Sydney Aus) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure (Audio CD)

contrary to what other reveiwers have written, this is an excellent, inspired, well written, purposely sloppy album. its raw, sarcatic, dark and poppy, with toooo many undertones and hidden meanings to mentions. if juliana ever wrote a song with line of "i *something* you" it would have to be "i forgive you". she hates and... well hates, (cant say she loves that would just be lying) and it shows. its emotional and beautiful, angry and light filled. this album is excellent.