Demolition column
The Domestics
Tight Spot
Independent
Alina Moscovitz is no Lucy Ricardo. Alina may take
the stage in 1950's inspired skirts and aprons, since
most ska/pop-punk bands try to emulate the era's
trends, but no way in hell would Alina take half the
crap Lucy took from Ricky during those conservative
years.
Alina is the bombshell singer and rhythm guitarist for
The Domestics, a sort of pop-punk sort of ska minus
the brass, band. Compared to the likes of Gwen
Stefani, Alina proves she is something more with her
encompassing voice, which can be heard on "Fire
Hazard" from her bellowing Debbie Harry moans to the
rigid punk choruses.
Songs such as "Anorexic Love Song" and "Tightrope
Walker" reveal that the upper hand belongs to Alina.
"Anorexic" starts the CD off with powerful guitars and
jangling drums screaming punk under the rhythmically
talkative lyrics, "I'm starving my body for you."
"Tightrope", on the other hand, doesn't make light of
self-image disorders that poison women's minds, rather
it uses circus performers as an analogy for tricky
love with no safety net, while building on Mighty
Mighty Bosstones inspired guitars.
By the time the disc reaches "Fall Apart", the cat is
out of the bag, they sound exactly like Save Ferris
male majority and all. The vocals are slower than the
angst drumming sets you up for and once again, the
girl has lost her identity and is falling apart, sort
of like Lucy and Ricky's marriage, right?
-Ellen Thompson
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BOOG CITY
Issue 12, December 2003
Domestics Are Spot On
Review: The Domestics - Tight Spot
At last, the Domestics have an album. The Domestics don't record enough. The Domestics don't play enough. The Domestics just aren't around enough -- not for my tastes. One thing they certainly are, though, is pop enough. The abundance of hooks, riffs, and vocal tricks prove Alina Moscovitz's pop sensibilities. The songs shimmer, they startle, and they stay in your head weeks after you hear them. The ska intro to "Tightrope Walker" will simply not leave me be, nor will the exciting drum roll that follows. Almost every single part of every single one of the four songs on Tight Spot is from some alternative plane of existence where power pop reigns supreme.
There is something clean, almost pristine, in the songwriting of Moscovitz, leader of the Domestics. Sometimes, I wonder if maybe the songs aren't too slick, too professional. In her old group, Bionic Finger, her songs were always smart, the sleekest in the set, and on the album -- well, she stood out. But then, she was only one singer/songwriter in a group of alternative-minded post-grrl rockers. In that context, taking song craft seriously was a pleasant way to stand out. Now that Moscovitz heads her own project as the sole writer for the Domestics, the question running through my head is: How much pop is too much pop?
Tight Spot responds loud and clear: Too much is never enough. Smart, rocking, sexy, and vaguely feminist, the bite-sized portions of the release (no cut over four minutes, most under three) are immediately accessible and quite tasty. There are hooks a plenty, from the first chorus of "Anorexic Love Song" to the final multiple voices blasting out "get this far" at the end of "Fire Hazard." It's a glorious document, far too small for my satisfaction.
Live, though, the Domestics have a different agenda. Recently, they played Southpaw in Brooklyn. With its 250 seats, the room is probably the largest the band has played. Perhaps it was the size of the club, or a change of personnel (the CD was recorded with Chris Woods on lead guitar, while the show featured guest player Todd Carlstrom), but the show seemed more about volume and rock posturing than servicing the songs -- a far cry from the EP. The able rhythm section of Eric Shaw on drums and Evan Silverman on bass rocked hard, and Carlstrom's guitar was great but seemed to muddy some of the vocals. Some of the incredible hooks that make the recording so accessible were unfortunately lost.
Of course, live and canned music serve different masters. The energy required for a live show could ruin a recording, and the clarity desirable for an album could prove antiseptic in a club. Still, maybe there's an even blend of the two that would make this new group even more accessible. Is that possible? If so, they just might conquer the world.
-Jon Berger
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