Monday, June 11, 2012

CD Review: Girl In A Coma - Exits & All The Rest


Girl In A Coma approaches the listener at odd angles on its 2011 CD, Exits & All The Rest, building songs with rough edges and abrupt tempo shifts. The San Antonio based trio, comprised of vocalist-guitarist Nina Diaz, her older sister, drummer-backup vocalist Phanie D, and bassist-vocalist Jenn Alva, has been creating compelling music since releasing its debut, Both Before I’m Gone, in 2007. The emotional lyrics on this fourth effort were written and delivered by Nina Diaz, who often sounds weathered and mature well beyond her young age.

The slinky jazz arrangement for “Adjust” is mixed with jagged pieces of hard rock, while the guitar-driven “She Had A Plan” and “One Eyed Fool” have more of a raw, garage feel. Knocking At Your Door” and “Cemetery Baby” are hypnotic tunes brimming with a darker ambience. Throughout Exits & All The Rest, Diaz alternates between soaring vocals and an earthy growl. In fact, “Hope” is the only track that fails to connect, partly due to an over-used military beat, but also because it’s the one time she’s limited to monotonous screaming. By contrast, Diaz breezes through lines like “I've never felt a rush like this” on the romantic “Smart,” which taps into The Smiths with an irresistible melody.      

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