Abby Travis is an enigma. She hails from a background of punk, being the bassist for L.A.’s Love Dolls. She then graduated to alternative rock, with stints as backup for Butthole Surfers vocalist Gibby Haynes, Beck and Exene Cervenka, and eventually delved into pop, working with The Bangles and former Go-Go Kathy Valentine. It’s a strange resume for this sultry vocalist and multi-instrumentalist but one that serves her well on her new release Glitter Mouth.
This is Travis’ third solo album, and sounds like one that is truer to her gut instincts than the more intellectually inclined Cutthroat Standards and Black Pop and Foundation. On Glitter Mouth, Travis uses her tremendous range to fly through myriad styles, including glam-rock, trip-hop and a bit of cabaret; sometimes within the framework of one song.
Listening to Glitter Mouth is like entering a time machine which lands you directly in the middle of an expressionist opera by Kurt Weill. It’s complete with passionate vocalizations supported by a brilliantly diverse unit of players including keyboardist Kristian Hoffman, El Vez sideman Dave Bongiovanni, Meat Puppets guitarist Kurt Kirkwood, Simon Raymonde from the Cocteau Twins, Save Ferris vocalist Monique Powell and punk legend Alice Bag. As difficult as it is to picture all of these people working together in a studio, Travis’ complex arrangements makes fine use of their talents.
Standout songs include the alternative rock monster “Now Was,” the smoky, sensuous “Grace” and “Blythe,” the dirge-tinged “Hunger,” which quickly changes to a lusty, thrill ride, the elaborate soulfulness of “Le Petit Mort,” and the chilling spoken word cover of “Past, Present and Future.” On each of these songs, Travis channels the ardorous desire of Edith Piaf, only to transform the chanteuse within her into a rollicking Sally Bowles, jumping from stage to floor table in a dingy German dive bar.
Travis’ inscrutable musical gifts are beyond the reach of less discriminate music fans. But those willing to take on the experimentation of Glitter Mouth will find an intense amalgam of style, lyrical beauty, and powerful insight into the depths and depravity of the human spirit. On Glitter Mouth, Travis reaches in and massages those tender parts of us we prefer not to expose while soothing us with her warm, passionate vocal embrace.
If that’s not enough incentive to buy this CD, Travis is giving away a free iPod to some lucky person who orders Glitter Mouth. This offer is good till August 11. Orders received at this site by August 11 are automatically entered. Even if you don’t win the iPod, owning Glitter Mouth should be prize enough for any music gourmand.
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