Crystal Fairy - Crystal Fairy album review

Two Melvins, a Genderbender and a prog-punk star team up

Cover art for Crystal Fairy - Crystal Fairy album

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When exactly does Omar RodriguezLopez of At The Drive-In and The Mars Volta sleep? There seems to be a new project from him every week, much of it on the Ipecac label, America’s true home of the weird.

This time he’s jumped on board a hook-up between King Buzzo and Dale Crover of The Melvins and Teri Genderbender of Le Bucherettes, which came about when Genderbender joined The Melvins on stage to cover Bikini Kill’s righteous riot grrl classic Rebel Girl. That’s sadly missing from this rollicking debut, but from the moment opener Chiseler bursts into life with the kind of classic, adrenaline-junkie riff you could use to power a mission to Mars, all you can do is strap yourself in and enjoy the G-force.

Genderbender is a born star, charisma dripping from every syllable, while The Melvins’ trademark heaviness complements and contrasts her bohemian, dramatic delivery like sea salt in caramel. This fairy wears boots and is ready to kick ass.

Emma has been writing about music for 25 years, and is a regular contributor to Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Prog and Louder. During that time her words have also appeared in publications including Kerrang!, Melody Maker, Select, The Blues Magazine and many more. She is also a professional pedant and grammar nerd and has worked as a copy editor on everything from film titles through to high-end property magazines. In her spare time, when not at gigs, you’ll find her at her local stables hanging out with a bunch of extremely characterful horses.