The Stripminers

After meeting via the Sugar Knives song/video “Who’s To Blame” (in which both star as quarreling lovers who end up duking it out in a boxing ring), Brett Anderson, vocalist for rock/pop dynamos The Donnas, and Paul Stinson from punkers The Radishes, knew they had a musical bond. After talking on video set, the duo decided to write and record some more songs with producer Scrote (who also produced the Sugar Knives album). Scrote, in turn, brought in a veteran lineup of LA heavyweights, including Brett Simons on bass, DJ Bonebrake on drums, Chris Bruce on guitar, and Scrote himself on various instruments, to record what ended up being two albums worth of material. After an initial teaser 7” in summer of 2011, The Stripminers are now releasing their debut album. The album is a highly eclectic and varied mix of punk, alternative country, garage and rock. Anderson recently best summed up their sound by saying, “Our songs are all totally different. So, if you hate one…you're in luck – because you'll never hear one like that again." Standout tracks include the twangy alt-country duet, “Better Than A Song”, with both vocalists cooing about love for a partner being greater than that of music, deadpanning, “I could love you better than a song.” Showing their punk roots, “Get Out” demonstrates the band’s extraordinary ability to blend genres, here with honkey-tonk touches over spitfire vocal sparring. The equally lively “Unnatural Lovers” and “You Make Dyin’ Fun” are straight-up punk scorchers, with Pixies-esque guitar squealing from Scrote, Chris Bruce and guest Reeves Gabrels taking the spotlight. On the album’s softer side, “Like a Harp” is a gorgeous indie rock ballad that highlights Anderson’s seductive vocal talents.