The Noise live review, June 2004

LUCUBRO, LUNARGIRL, THYLACINE

The Skybar

4/15/04

Dark Sky Entertainment's third installment promises, "angry GRRL dark guitar rock." No stranger to female wrath, I proceed with masochistic mirth! Physically, Thylacine resembles a chance collision of Shelly Long and The Edge. Susan Cruikshank is a lanky siren who writes all the lyrics, much of the music, and sings majestically over Rob Mercier's axe attack. Renaissance man, Rob, also conquers keyboards, bass, and drum machines. On "Cold" Rob's devilish solos are hot! Susan's vocals cement her chanteuse status on the swirling, "Beauty." With lilting tempo and fuzzy guitar, "Speed" sounds like Garbage, the band Garbage, that is! Next, Thylacine covers "She Bop" and gets the early crowd clapping. A brilliantly Bjorkless "Army of Me" follows. Rob's whammy bar falls out for the second time. Depeche Mode's dynamic "I Feel You" is jarring to its abrupt ending when Susan breaks the silence, "Is everyone angry? The girls, at least?" Too demure to solicit anger, she offers a slower number to decompress. It works. "Angel," a bluesy ballad with shades of Santana, has a Nico McBrain clone blissfully swaying by the T-shirt table! (Tony G)

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