Out March 23rd on Don Giovanni, Blueprint is the second full-length solo record by Alice Bag. Based in Los Angeles, Bag is a punk rock singer, musician, author, educator and feminist archivist. She was lead singer and co-founder of The Bags, who were among the first wave of punk bands to emerge from that city during in the mid-1970's. Recorded last year, the album includes a revolving cast of friends and Los Angeles-based musicians, including the members of Bags current backing band, as well as guest vocals from Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, The Julie Ruin), Allison Wolfe (Bratmobile, Sex Stains), Francisca Valenzuela, and Teri Gender Bender.
H**D
Rocks with Smarts
Some reviewers call this punk, but if so it's on the smarter, more lyrical side of punk. On the Patti Smith rather than Dead Boys end of the spectrum but really not like either, they are their own sound. Love the vocals which are mixed perfect with the instruments, with lyrics that are actually worth listening to. Good addition to my massive collection
P**R
Solid new album, and even more essential in concert
Chicana punk icon Alice Bag released her very first full-length album in 2016, if you can believe it, as she approached her late 50s. The self-titled album received almost universal critical acclaim. Alice toured robustly in support of the album, and then in 2017 did a Kickstarter campaign to finance a new album (the campaign surpassed all expectations, by the way). The new album was finally released a few months ago."Blueprint" (11 tracks; 40 min.) opens with the blazing "Turn It Up" (1st single), as Alice rocks "You made a playlist and it's locked into your head/Toss it out, play something new instead/And turn it up, turn it up/Until it resonates in your soul/Turn it up, turn it up/Feel the change from head to toe". In "&&", Alice laments the unequal pay for women: "I make 77 cents and it's not right/It's bad for women/And worse if you're not white". The songs and its themes are very much in line with Alice's first album, and indeed equally focused (typically one main theme per song).And of course there is also the obligatory one tune in Spanish, "Se Cree Joven". Perhaps the biggest surprise of this album is how strong Bag's singing is. Not that she was a "weak" singer on the first album, but you can feel and hear the difference: Alice is yet more confident in her singing, period. There are no weak spots, or wasted moments, on this album, and "Blueprint" simply continues the top notch music from the first album.You haven't had the full Alice Bag experience yet if you haven't seen her in concert. I caught Alice Bag live for the first time when she came to Cincinnati 2 years ago and played a roof-raising set that simply blew me away. And she came through town again just this past weekend, in support of the new album, playing a mix of both albums, and adding a couple of Bags classics from back in the day (Babylonian Gorgon; Gluttony; We Don't Need the English). If you have a chance to see Alice Bag live, do not miss her! Meanwhile, "Blueprint" is a WINNER.
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