Punk band incorporates complexity and creativity

By Nate Seltenrich

Original Sinners is the name of the latest group fronted by Exene Cervenka, a founding member of the seminal Los Angeles punk band, X. She is joined by ex-Distillers members Kim Chi and Mat Young, in addition to versatile musicians Sam Soto and Jason Edge.

Together they form a distinctive new punk band with strong influences in surf rock, country and rock and roll.

On their self-titled debut album, Exene's powerful yet controlled voice is a perfect fit for the sound of Original Sinners. Her range spans from Courtney Love's screams to Melissa Etheridge's rock serenades. Kim Chi also fills in with background vocals, creating a double-layered female vocalist attack that is particularly effective in "Bringin' Me Down," in which Kim and Exene unite to repeat "you're bringin' me down."

Original Sinners are as musically varied as Exene's vocal abilities. Three surf-tinged punk rock instrumentals, "Alligator Teeth," "Mourning After" and "Tick Tock," are particularly satisfying. The scorching guitar parts on these three tracks show off Cervenka's and Soto's guitar-playing abilities, while Young's high-energy drumming drives the surf punk feel.

On the other end of the spectrum, "Woke up this Mornin'" interestingly resembles the blues lyric structure and subject matter very closely.

"I woke up this mornin' and the sky it was blue / I woke up this mornin' and the sky it was blue / Oh that reminds me / I am through with you," sings Exene.

The strengths of this album are its musical diversity and depth and creative and poetic lyrics. Also, other than an occasional discordant and grating shout, Cervenka's contributions are quite impressive. The only thing this band could use is a little more cohesion. All five members are very talented, but they tend to come across as five individuals rather than one unified group. This is a weakness that hopefully time will heal. B