Ms. Led
“Afternoon in Central Park””
(Fish The Cat Productions)
At first glance one might put their mind on autopilot while listening to ms. led, but this is definitely user error. Sounding like Hole’s underground, garage rock counterparts, but actually being able to sing, ms. led is rock music that is not for the weak at heart. When it comes to discussions on political climate and social evolution lead singer Lesli Wood is no slouch. This was immediately apparent to me from the very beginning on the title track “Afternoon in Central Park” when she so amply states “blame the system then don’t even try monkey see monkey do” and later “how do you sleep at night? do you turn off your mind when you turn out the light?”. It’s funny to me, because I do that as much as possible.
If I really sit down and think about the world I get more depressed and psychotic that Michael Jackson on 60 Minutes. Musically, ms. led comes off quite bland when compared to today’s other indie acts, but there is certainly room for improvement in this area. My ears just hear a voice that need much more sporadic, louder guitars (can you say power chords?) and less 1-2, 1-2 drumming. I would love to see future albums move the direction of “I Know Now” (which sort of sounds like the 90210 opening song) or “While In New York” which have beautifully crafted chords and wonderful vocal harmonies.
