Kabuki

Album Review

Opening with guitars that sound like lost outtakes off L7's early records or even earlier Nirvana records, Violet Skin has created an excellently fierce, yet lively and almost friendly recording. There's something about Violet Skin's music, and particularly their debut recording, Kabuki, that is almost disarming despite of its in-your-face punk rock aesthetic. Of particular interest is the excellent jangly guitar melodies that seem to course through the fabric of all of Violet Skin's songs on Kabuki; one of the points that's really interesting, as well, is the voice of the band's singer, Katie Janness, with her unique vocal style that comes off sounding like a cross between Velocity Girl and Sleater-Kinney, with a bit of a late-'80s, early-'90s Washington state sound and feel. With Violet Skin there's definitely an early-'90s Washington state-based fervor that characterizes much of their music; in fact, one almost wonders if they are borrowing this aesthetic intentionally. Whatever the case may be, Violet Skin has created an excellent and lively album with Kabuki.