Archive Review: The Cocktail Slippers’ Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre (2009)

Fair or no, all-girl bands are judged by either the commercial success of such distaff outfits as the Go-Gos and the Bangles, or by nostalgia-enhanced memories of the queens of proto-punk, the Runaways. Never mind that female rock bands, though fewer in number than their masculine counterparts, are just as diverse, quirky, and creative as any other band, regardless of critical biases or preconceived notions.

This is the critical and commercial environment that welcomes Norway’s Cocktail Slippers, a five-woman band of Scandinavian bad girls, unabashed rockers all with hearts of gold. Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, the band’s sophomore effort, is a modern-day classic of garage-pop goodness, evoking memories of both the raging femininity of Ronnie Spector and the Ronettes as well as the snarling tomboy, take-no-shit attitude of Joan Jett’s best solo work.

The band members collectively write a fair rockin’ song, sweeter than the Donnas, punkier than the Eyeliners, and tunes like “You Do Run,” with their vocal harmonies and whipsmart lyricism, slashes of manic guitar and explosive drumbeats, pay homage to 40+ years of girl-group history. “Gotta Crush” is a delightful throwback to a simpler era, with engaging harmonies, a simple but universal plotline, and overwhelmingly beautiful wall-o-sound production. “Round & Round” rocks harder, with a punkish intensity, roaring riff-heavy guitars, and guttercrash drumbeats.

The best bet on Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, however, is the title track. Penned by producer Little Steven (Van Zandt), the song’s combination of ‘60s pop vulnerability and leather jacket tuffness is bolstered by delicious vocals and harmonies, a haunting melody, swells of genius keyboards, and a broken-hearted lyrical undercurrent that will have you reminiscing about your first love. If there was even a shred of justice in this cold, cold world then this song would be a mondo-huge radio hit, the album would sell multiple truckloads, and the Cocktail Slippers would be the toast of the town. (Wicked Cool Records, released March 21st, 2009)

Review originally published by Blurt magazine

Buy the CD from Amazon: The Cocktail Slipper’s Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre