Kimya Dawson - Thunder Thighs

Kimya Dawson's seventh album might not be quite what you expect. After kicking off with familiar-sounding four-track-recorded, thumb-strummed acoustic folk, Thunder Thighs veers off in all manner of different directions. Involving the likes of the Olympia Free Choir, Nikolai Fraiture of The Strokes, Dawson's five-year-old daughter Panda and rapper Aesop Rock, the record takes a trip through a host of genres.

Miami Advice mixes a choral singalong with hip-hop, while The Mare and The Bear could have been lifted from the songwriter's kids' album, Alphabutt. Elsewhere, the sweary rap of Zero or Zillion takes a dig at musical snobbery and reprises the exuberance and anarchy of her Moldy Peaches days.

It's not all fun and games though. The wonderful thing about the ever-honest Dawson is that she ducks no subject and, as one would expect from her, there are some stark, tough moments here. Indeed, the ten-minute Walk Like Thunder sees her at her most vulnerable as she deals with her near-overdose ten years ago and the death of two friends to illness. It is incredibly moving.

The general theme of Thunder Thighs revolves around the importance of being kind, tolerant and considerate to others. However, Dawson's words are not preachy in the slightest and if you don't find yourself nodding in agreement with her philosophies, then you really need to have a good long look in the mirror.

Such is the eclectic nature of Thunder Thighs that, even though the 16 tracks here are all new, the record plays out like a Greatest Hits, meaning not only will it appeal to long-term fans but it's also the best place for the uninitiated to begin.

Review by Bobby Townsend. It first appeared in Sydney's Drum Media.