It's a bit hard to believe it's been fourteen years since Melora Creager, (cellist and the creative force behind all that is Rasputina) whisper-sung in in her trademark vibrato the lyrics "It don't pay to be careful, don't pay to be nice...I don't think I'll try again" on their 1996 debut Thanks for the Ether. Thankfully, seven full length albums and a decade and a half later have proven that not only will she in fact try again, she will succeed on every level, weaving her brand of wry wit, morbid humor, and twisted historical tales over an electrified cello and maybe tell you a story about the Donner Party in between.
For the uninitiated, Rasputina was begun by Ms. Creager after a stint as Nirvana's touring cellist for the In Utero tour. What began as a corseted, hoop-skirted 'no boys, no guitars' project called the Ladies' Cello Society has morphed over the last couple of decades into an utterly unique rock-influenced band that employs electrified cellos, a drummer, and yes, even boys these days. The hoop skirts have fallen by the wayside at their live shows in place of a stray Indian feather or two, but the driving force and mastermind is always front and center, fingers manipulating sounds out of a classical instrument in ways one has to see to believe.
Rasputina's seventh studio album, entitled 'Sister Kinderhook' has the unique paradox of being both a departure for the band and yet completely in keeping with what they do best. Additional quirkiness is found in Melora's addition of a harpsichord and banjo to the cello and drum sections on songs such as "My Night Sky" and "Snow-Hen of Austerlitz."
While a lot of the tracks are very reminiscent of the stripped down sound of band's early days, what stands out on this collection are the songs that depart into a more percussion-heavy territory. Songs like "Olde Dance" have a more prominent drum section that give it a very earthy, folky feel while the following track, "Humankind, As the Sailor' takes on a darker, more moody quality than if it had relied on string instruments alone, as in the past. Like all Rasputina albums, the backbone of the subject matter at hand is a type of tongue-in-cheek commentary on bizarre historical tales. A few of the themes Sister Kinderhook touches on are colonial federalism, the anti-rent wars of 1844, early American portraiture and my personal favorite, feral children. Also present are the obligatory spoken-word interludes in which Ms. Creager educates us, in character, on anything from spoiled celebrities to cannibalism. Sister Kinderhook, while it will undoubtedly fly under the radar for those not fortunate enough to stumble across its' path, is yet another wholly original piece of work from the brilliantly offbeat mind of Melora Creager. It is comforting to know that such musicianship and creativity are still alive and well in the era of autotune and paint by numbers pop songs.
Standout tracks:
Sweet Sister Temperance
The 2 Miss Leavens
Olde Dance
Humankind, As the Sailor
Kinderhook Hoopskirt Works
Meant to be Dutch
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