lambchops's Full Review: Resolver [PA] by Veruca Salt
Unfortunately for bands like Veruca Salt there is little that can be done to redeem themselves after the abrupt departure of one of the two creative forces. In this case, Nina Gordon was probably the more talented of the two while Louise Post always has had some amount of promise but tends toward lacking emotion.
So when Gordon up and left in pursuit of a solo career, there was little doubt that the spark that had led to hit albums and singles was about to be put out. Post, while talented in her own right, can by no means carry the weight of an entire band like Veruca Salt on her shoulders. Hence the disappointment of Resolver is all the more bitter.
Veruca Salt arose out of a chance meeting of Post and Gordon in 1993. The two writers, guitarists, and vocalists clicked musically and recruited Steve Lack (on bass) and Gordon’s brother Jim Shapiro on drums. That lineup went on to soon become college radio darlings and eventually even garnered MTV support based on the success of the song Seether and the album American Thighs. In 1997, the four regrouped and released Eight Arms To Hold You. Somewhat harder-edged and more angry than the debut it was a success nonetheless with incredible offerings like Volcano Girls and Earthcrosser.
Most cohesive was the band’s full-length debut, American Thighs. Most powerful were the vocals and songs written by Nina Gordon. Gordon went on her own way in 1998 and would later record Tonight and The Rest of My Life. Post on the other hand stuck with Veruca Salt, for better or for worse. She slapped together a new lineup consisting of guitarist Stephen Fitzpatrick, bassist Suzanne Sokol, and drummer Jimmy Madla. The four took some time off to recoup before unleashing Resolver on to the world of eager (and soon to be disappointed) music lovers.
Resolver was doomed from its inception. Veruca Salt should never have been anything but a band consisting of two singer, guitarists, and songwriters. Post seemed to think that she didn’t need Gordon to make the band successful, but those familiar with the band’s previous work should be well aware that this is not even close to the case. Gordon was the princess, she was the deity, she was the one who made the songs and albums work, hence the immediately obvious problems noticeable with Resolver.
Hitting shelves in 2000 on the Beyond label boasting some thirteen songs. An apparent lashing out at the broken ties with Gordon and Post’s broken relationship with Dave Grohl (yes, THAT Dave Grohl), the album comes off more like a childish temper tantrum than an adult method of dealing with heartache. Throughout the entire album it seems that Post is stuck in a time warp, unwilling to admit that she is indeed alone and must now actually make music by herself using her own words rather than counting on Gordon to do so half of the time. Her belligerent, unrelenting attacks on her former bandmate and former love are barely lucid and get old within the first few songs. In addition, this album is intentionally loud. Loud is fine, I like loud when it is done right, but in this ill-fated example the songs are on the whole pretty sad. Not in an emotional way, rather in a piteously dated way. Note to all aspiring singer-songwriters, yowling unmercifully about the injustice in the world and your own personal soap opera does not make for a great album (or in this case, even an average one).
Resolver kicks off with the mercifully brief The Same Person. Post whines in a babyish whisper throughout the minute and a half song that acts like an intro to the album. Unfortunately the song isn’t at all representative of the others that follow. Born Entertainer kicks in with a forceful fervor. At first it seems that possibly there is some point…and maybe even a bit of promise. But Post’s voice is grinding and painful (unlike that of her former friend and cohort Gordon). The song, an obvious dig at Grohl, is so obvious that it’s laughable.
Continuing on, Post rants with Best You Can Get. This time both Gordon and Grohl sit at the apex of Post’s self-made soap opera. Post basically (in a few not-so-well-chosen words) says that Gordon sucks and that Grohl shouldn’t have wanted anything to do with her, but they deserved one another. The words are laughable, though I’m absolutely positive that Post took them dead serious:
She's all crazy and sh*t
She shows us her t*ts
She's just a corn-fed white-bred chick
Born in the right zip code
She comes with a gold card
She'll never have to pay for it
As Resolver progresses, it does little to improve. Posts rants become more and more incoherent…as does the equally wishy-washy music. Wet Suit is another droll rip on Grohl, this time Post wails on him for tricking her into monogamy. Going on, Yeah Man is a bizarre rant once again (apparently) about Grohl, though it makes little sense. Post obviously is ridden with emotional baggage.
Imperfectly once again laments loudly about Post’s undying “imperfect” love for some unnamed entity. Of course, Grohl is the subject at hand and unfortunately this song is also rather imperfect. Resolver sounds exceedingly like a flashback to 1994 and to American Thighs without the inspiration or oozing energy. Officially Dead tends toward the same lyrical pattern as Imperfectly though at a louder volume. Neither song is worth hearing, much less owning.
Post’s voice is ear-shattering on Only You Know. Once again she takes pot shots at her former friend and former lover. After eight songs with the exact same purpose, one more rant seems somehow fitting:
Don't thank me for what you got
I've given you love, I've given you too much thought
Don't shame me for calling it quits
You're a hopeless sinner and an optimist
But the pattern isn’t over. Disconnected dreams of domestic bliss and is fortunately also one of the most understated songs of the album. I suppose, if forced to choose, I most enjoy this song out of any on Resolver though by no stretch of any drunken imagination will I ever actually recommend this album to anybody. All Dressed Up continues in the same trite vein as most of the rest of the album, and should be avoided at all costs.
Used To Know Her addresses both Gordon and Grohl in one fell swoop. Does it do so with power? Uh. No. Post can’t write an emotionally scarred song to save her life. That’s why Gordon’s presence was so critical to the success of Veruca Salt.
Resolver wraps up with two equally dire tracks, Pretty Boys is…well, stupid. Neither the music nor the music can do one iota of good to save this debacle of a song and album. And Hellraiser is equally bad. If you can say one good thing about Resolver it is that it remains consistent throughout the entire disc. Not just that; at least Post had mercy on the audience and kept the length to a minimum. Resolver clocks in at something less than fifty minutes.
Whatever good was in Veruca Salt is now long since dead. I highly doubt that there will be any further successful bands from the Chicago-based rockers in part because of the apparently irreparable fallout between Post and Gordon. Fortunately, Gordon’s solo career has some amount of promise, but we’ll see after a sophomore release if she has any amount of staying power. Resolver is crap. Blood curdling, nostril burning feces. Avoid it at all cost.
Rating: 1/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. The Same Person | 02. Born Entertainer | 3. Best You Can Get | 04. Wet Suit | 05. Yeah Man | 06. Imperfectly | 07. Officially Dead | 08. Only You Know | 09. Disconnected | 10. All Dressed Up | 11. Used to Know Her | 12. Pretty Boys | 13. Hellraiser
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