Gretchen

Item: Mouth Full of Nails
Author: Brian A. Smith

Mouth Full of Nails

(2001)

Reviewed by Brian A. Smith

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Label Rugged RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2001

alternative metal alternative rock hard rock modern rock

Gretchen takes their name from the King's X album Gretchen Goes to Nebraska. Unfortunately, other than the song "Mr. Nothing," that is where the similarities end. The group's publicity packet promotes Gretchen as "a complete breakthrough for female-fronted heavy music." It's a lofty statement that the album falls somewhat short of meeting.

It would be interesting to view lead singer Mia Richards' music collection. The track "Diamonds" sounds like a cross between Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow, and is quite reminiscent of the Third Day song "More than I Deserve." The opener "Trophy" reminds me of Chicago band Veruca Salt, while "Star" has a spoken word interlude a la 80's one hit wonder T'Pau.

"See Me Hear Me" is a Pat Benatar meets Rage Against the Machine rockfest, and Gretchen also features a cover tune--"White Wedding," originally done by Billy Idol. Guitarist David Richards commented that "we chose to cover 'White Wedding' because it's a popular song whose spiritual metaphors are mostly overlooked. The lyrics have lots of double meanings about starting again and the value of one's soul. Of course, the central imagery about the wedding corresponds with the scriptural idea of the church being the bride of Christ." Mia Richards' vocals here serve to show what would happen if Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer) suddenly decided to perform heavy metal.

Of course, this being a "heavy" album means that there is the obligatory ballad, "Inclined." At its best, "Inclined" leans toward Beki Hemingway sonically, and seems to be about a broken relationship:

I'm feeling so inclined
to give you a piece of my mind.
But you don't have the time
to even care.

My overall impression here is that, like a lot of louder music, Gretchen would sound a lot more powerful live than on CD. The album is strong lyrically, but they seem to waver between influences and style. If they continue to progress musically, you will be hearing a lot about them in a few years. One suggestion: cover a King's X tune on the next project and pay tribute to the inspiration for the name of the group.

2.5 tocks