Cobra Killer Uppers and Downers
Still dolled up like fetishized East Berlin schoolmarms, Gina D’Orio and Annika Trost have kept […]
Still dolled up like fetishized East Berlin schoolmarms, Gina D’Orio and Annika Trost have kept up their art-damaged moxie, for better and worse. Uppers and Downers finds the pair unleashing more go-go swing, electroclash sleaze, and enough cryptic lyrics to puzzle feminist dissections for ages—on “Hello Celebrity” the girls catcall wonton-eating stars. Indie guitar icons Thurston Moore and J. Mascis show up on “Hang Up the Pinup” to flesh out a scuzzy metal jam while the ladies randomly hack up their vocals. The wackiness grows uninspired as the album proceeds, particularly on “Mr. Chang,” when the ladies sing as airport luggage attendants. Just like the title, this album is all blissful highs and sudden lows, but offers very little to remember the morning after.