Queen Adreena - Drink Me

Katie Jane Garside first made noise in the early '90s in the U.K. post-punk outfit Daisy Chainsaw. Her rag doll look of torn dresses besmirched in mud made her vulnerability a quick target for the media. Unfortunately, Daisy Chainsaw only released one album with Garside's vocal theatrics; she left the band in 1992 under pressures of being in the limelight. Eight years later, she and former Chainsaw guitarist Crispin Grey joined forces for Queen Adreena with bassist Orson Wajih and drummer Billy Freedom. They issued Taxidermy on Blanco y Negro in fall 2000. Billy Freedom was replaced in 2002 by drummer Pete Howard, formerly of The Clash. The band signed with Rough Trade for their second album, 2002's Drink Me. Since the band switched labels from Rough Trade to One Little Indian, this album has fallen out of print and has become somewhat of a collector's item to new fans of the band. One Little Indian records have stated that there are currently no plans to re-release the album.

Recording techniques having improved since the beginning of the 90’s, QA benefits from a thicker sound than Daisy Chainsaw’s. They have surprisingly added plain brutality to the expected noisy aspect in some songs. ‘Under a Floodboard World’ easily reminds one of NIN but Katie Jane Garside’s outbursts alternating with out of breath singing illuminate the song. ‘Pretty Like Drugs’ is half-way between Daisy chainsaw and Jesus Lizard. Some riffs sound metal (which might be a good after-effect of nu-metal: ‘Kitty collar tight’). When she does not yell, Garside finds back her twisted changing child-like voice in nonchalant songs that convey insanity and malaise again (‘Sleeping Pill’ industrial experiment, ‘Desert Lullaby’ sounds like an unhealthy nightmare while ‘My Silent Undoing’ is a strange lullaby).

Let’s forget Taxidermy’s mishap, Drink Me is Crispin Gray and Katie Jane Garside’s true come back despite a couple of superfluous songs. If there is no hit such as ‘Love Your Money’, ‘Siamese Almeida’ is an impressive visceral and noisy should-be single played at full throttle. ‘For I am the Way’ ends the album on a dubious impression of awakening. Daisy Chainsaw has been one of the bands which really epitomize the word schizophrenia through their music; Queen Adreena might be taking over things where Daisy Chainsaw left off.
(Year of Release: 2002)

Track List:
1. Pretty Like Drugs
2. Kitty Collar Tight
3. Siamese Almeida
4. Razorblade Sky
5. Sleeping Pill
6. A Bed Of Roses
7. My Silent Undoing
8. Desert Lullaby
9. Under A Floorboard World
10. Hotel Aftershow
11. For I Am The Way

Download: Queen Adreena - Drink Me (51.9MB)