The Ettes – Do You Want Power – Album Review

Most of us throughout our life are made to deal with similar types of authority figures and some of us acquire a rebellious side from these experiences. In grade school you only had to worry about teachers really. I remember getting suspended for something I didn’t do. I was accused of breaking a bench screw on a collapsible lunch table. I wasn’t the only one suspended either. The teachers threatened to take away our upcoming field trip if nobody confessed, even though Dave the janitor said the screw was faulty. Experiences like that really affect your outlook on people in charge. Then you get to high school and cops start becoming more of a reality. My friends proved that to me time and again. In college you’ve got your riot police, depending on which school you’re at or visiting. Rubber bullets and tear gas can be quite a nightmare if not used properly. The town homes in Kent during May Day, Halloween in OU, and after most Buckeyes games you were pretty much guaranteed a disaster zone.  After college, you deal with people telling you you owe them money, be it bills or taxes. Cops are still in the picture, but hopefully you’ve wised up by taking cabs when you’re drunk and not killing fawns with your garden shovel. Authority can be a big part of our lives and the way we deal with it can make it even bigger. The record industry has its own breed of authority that most of us don’t have to worry about, but for a band it can make or break you. The manner in which you deal with it can gain you respect or lose it. For us, the listeners, our concerns seem to lie with how our favorite band develops their sound over time. There’s a lot of people out there trying to influence their style, you just hope they take the path you’d most enjoy listening to. The Ettes have had to make a lot of decisions over the years and I believe they’ve made good ones; from the people they chose to work with and take advice from to how they chose to cultivate their sound. They definitely pick the right people to listen to. Do You Want Power is a perfect example of a band racing to the peaks of awesome, while saying ’suck it’ to all the liars, cheaters, and individuals who abuse the powers they were given.

In case they haven’t come up on your radar yet, The Ettes are lead by charismatic vocalist, guitarist and rebel to the bone Coco. She’s got one of those voices, where if you had a week to live, you’d want her to be the one to tell you. Then you got Jem blazing trails on the bass like the Raptor ride at Cedar Point if it was set on fire. Jem has an imaginative rock sense and the fuzzed out delivery of his bass is sure to get your blood flowing. The band’s main energy supply comes from Poni the can spankin’, high-powered big beat drummer who inspires many to get their boogie on. It’s a ternion of talented musicians.

Following a strong beginning to 2009, (highlighted with the Dan Auerbach produced EP Danger Is, and a European tour supporting the Kings of Leon) The Ettes release their third LP, Do You Want Power September 29th on Take Root Records. They recorded over the course of five days at The Bomb Shelter in their newish hometown of Nashville, TN. Past recording hot spots have included Toe Rag Studios and Akron Analog. The band took a fresh approach to the production duties by enlisting the skills of Greg Cartwright this time around instead of Liam Watson, who did great work on their first two LPs.

I’ve been listening to this CD pretty much on a daily basis since I got it in the mail. I can’t get enough of it. It seeks out and torches your no fun cells. Even if you have an over abundance of fun-depriving cells, I guarantee they will be zapped after a second listen. This album has got it all, and it delivers in 34 minutes or less. I got what I expected and then some in regards to their signature blend of rebellious garage punk 60’s pop. What came as a pleasant surprise was the random doses of country, folk, and loads of clever transitions.

The album kicks off with the powerful “Red Tooth in Claw” which invokes visions of being hunted down in the desert by a beautiful biker vixen who wants to rip you to shreds. Maybe she just wants to talk? I’d keep running. The smart, strong and unbreakable rock goddess female figure is a theme that gets tapped into often over the course of the album. No complaints here. “I Can’t Be True” captures the swagger of a KOL song when the Kings were on top of their game. “Take It With You” reminds me of the vocals of Alanis’ “You Outta Know” over a hybrid of the Beach Boys’ instrumentals from “I Get Around” and “Good Vibrations.” I know that’s a lot of references, but I really dig the tune. In the country-esque song “Love Lies Bleeding”, Coco seems to have channeled a folk rock version of Dolly Parton. It’s a beautifully crafted song of sadness and heartbreak. “I Can Be Your Lover (But I Can’t Be Your Baby)” is a catchy tune co-written by producer Greg Cartwright. It’s definitely a fun pop rock song. When I heard “Seasons” I immediately pictured someone cruising to Madrid in a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair Testuda. They’re probably going to catch a bullfight at Plaza de Toros de Las Valentas. It’s a fantastic rock song with a vibe reminiscent of The White Stripes’ “Conquest” and concluded with angelic vocals gently paired with an acoustic guitar. The Ettes switch gears with “While Your Girl’s Away”. It’s a calming folk ballad that speaks with emotion and grace. It sounds like a song Jessica Lea Mayfield may wish she had put together. “Walk Out That Door” is a blow the roof off, hand clappin’, boot stomping, alt-country treasure. It comes straight out the gate with heavy guitar riffs, a full on moaning harmonica and vocals that could have been inspired by a hard rockin’ Joan Jett anthem. It’s just the song for cleaning the garbage out of your life. “Keep Me In Flowers” is the final song on the LP. Not your typical song from these guys. It’s a slower, somber twist, complete with piano, violins, shimmering cymbals, and Coco’s acoustic guitar. The powerful vulnerability of the lyrics in this song was an equally dramatic way to end the album as the first song was to begin it.

So run out and grab a copy of this album when it hits your local record store and get the party started. If you haven’t checked out the second link in the article, I recommend you go back and click on it. It’s a solid read from Coco’s blog describing how authority got ugly on the road with the Kings of Leon. Could it have inspired some of rebellious content on this album? I guess you’ll have to wait and see. The song we have below was produced by Dan Auerbach from the Danger Is EP and will also be appearing on the Do You Want Power album. This song rolls out the thunder. Enjoy.

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