Aural Fixations

SNATCHES OF PINK
Hyena
(MoRisen)
One of the best bands to ever come out of the American South (let's jumpstart that hyperbole, shall we?), North Carolina's Snatches of Pink has never gotten the pop culture permeation it deserves, even after 15 years of service. Despite great albums like 1988's Dead Men, 1992's Bent With Pray and 1997's Blood and Commons (under the name Clarissa), SOP has remained under the radar, making distinctive, quality rock & roll that most bands would give their Marshall stacks to claim. Maybe it's because SOP doesn't fit easily under one banner—the trio starts with a Johnny Thunders, hard-edged rock & roll base, but adds folk rock, roots music, glam rock, poetic lyrics and a sort of ambient yearning that softens the group's raucous shell just a touch. Hyena, the band's first album in 6 years and first without the original lineup, grows mainly from Rank's hard rock roots. Loud, dirty and melodic, cuts like "Golden Years," "Nero" and "Come to This" rock hard with attitude and hooks to spare. Rank does find room in the organized chaos for "Acetate" and "The Last Invention," a typically gorgeous pair of his patented ethereal ballads, as well as a spitting, stomping cover of David Bowie's neglected classic "Moonage Daydream." As a bonus, Hyena includes bonus tracks taken from the original sessions for the record; considering how good "God Speed," "Native Tongue" and "Holiday" are, it's a wonder they were originally cut. Remember that hyperbole thing? Here's some more: Hyena is one of the best records of 2003, better than high profile rock & roll releases by Ryan Adams, Paul Westerberg and Iggy Pop. Believe it—Snatches of Pink deserves its place in the pantheon of lauded true believers, and Hyena is the perfect gift of the gods. Michael Toland [buy it]