Teeth & Tongue - Monobasic

TEETH & TONGUE
Monobasic

Those of you that remember Melbourne-based band Moscow Schoolboy will already be familiar with their singer, Jess Cornelius. Following the demise of that band, New Zealand-born Cornelius has gone it alone, and now works under the moniker Teeth & Tongue.

With a lovely vocal melody and intriguing percussion including a whistle, There Is a Lightness to My Bones is a pretty way to open her debut album, but is also something of a red herring as from then on things go down a much muddier route. Showing impressive vocal range by swapping the soaring, higher register delivery of the opening track for a low-down growl over dirty blues guitar, it is hardly surprising that Cornelius has drawn comparisons to PJ Harvey. Hello Ricardo is just one of a number of tracks that sounds as though it took influence from the English singer/songwriter. Sea Ice further shows off her dextrous, rather beautiful voice, while, elsewhere, the wonderful Stacey Come Over sounds like Patti Smith singing Bat For Lashes covers.

At times, Monobasic is both interesting and exciting. On the downside, it may lack momentum in places and could be accused of sometimes feeling slightly derivative, but there is enough here to suggest that – if she can avoid coming across as a PJ Harvey wannabe and continue to find her own voice – Cornelius has a healthy musical future ahead of her. This gutsy album is certainly a very good start and you’re certain to be hearing more from Teeth & Tongue in 2009.