– By Helen Brown
One woman, one guitar and a whole lot of attitude. “F*ck you, and your untouchable face” unwittingly became a feminist catch cry of the mid 90s, and the lady who imparted these empowering words, Ani Difranco, is back with Which Side Are You On? after a three year break from recording. Drawing influences and support from many talented Louisianan musicians, each song is a story unto itself.
‘Splinter’ is one of the stronger tracks and is about keeping the balance between naturism and materialism, and not letting ourselves become consumed by living too comfortably: “Sweat in the summer, shiver in the winter / just enough to know you’re alive.” With an animated guitar and booming timpani, Difranco sounds down to earth as though she is practicing or experimenting in a home made recording studio. She also weaves medieval renaissance notes and cool little riffs into Which Side Are You On?, all the while maintaining clever lyrics and frantic sing-song melodies.
Facets of Louisianan society – such as the homeless, the unlawful and overall societal breakdown – are characterised as she speaks of drugs in waterways, untrustworthy governments and the typical life of a drifter. Difranco uses vivid imagery by suggesting there are vampires in Louisiana, and talking from the point of view of a homeless person: “You can smell me coming from halfway down the street” and that she has “red scary hands and purple scary feet.”
Title track, ‘Which Side Are You On?,’ is her own take on a timeless tune written decades ago. It is a deliberately exaggerated Rockabilly style with an inspiring speech about making our democratic voices heard. There is clashing and clanging of pots, pans, cymbals and bells, using a children’s marching band back beat against a serious political message.
In ‘Promiscuity’ and ‘Hearse’ respectively, Difranco contradicts herself by saying it is important to travel and test yourself, to go “around the block a few times” until you have “felt a few things that just don’t feel real.” She then she speaks of the value of compromise, settling for less and being happy with your lot in life: “There is nothing like dancing a dance of give and take / one step forward, one step sideways.”
Difranco is poet and lyricist extraordinaire, but all is not well. The album lacks grit, quite often drags and at times feels flat. Granted her voice is smooth and very near flawless but overall, seems to be missing a driving force. You could easily trail off and get lost, like you have forgotten what you are listening to and why you are here. Catchy hooks are few and far between, and it seems thrown together at the last minute. There are some magic moments but that sense of heightened anticipation is quickly quashed on the first play.
Mellow is one thing: lifeless is quite another. There is a real danger of Which Side Are You On? being played once or twice, then sitting dormant on a shelf and gathering dust. It helps to view this as an intimate album, designed for an intimate setting such as softening a potential sweetheart or sitting on the porch with a long-lost pal. That being said, if you are willing to make a concerted effort and listen closely to what is being said – and not treat the album as background noise – you may draw some value. Whether or not you are willing to put in that much energy, though, is entirely up to you.
(My rating: 2 and a half out of 5)
– By Helen Brown
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