Album Review: Marnie Stern - The Chronicles Of Marnia

There's no shortage of love out there for Marnie Stern. Dubbed “the lady who shreds” for her hyper-speed, finger-tapping riffs, she's enjoyed critical kudos and many a kind word as a technically adept woman with an original indie-rock vision. But The Chronicles Of Marnia finds Stern trying to punch her way out of the reputation idea she's made for herself, with her signature shredding mixed into the background on a more song-driven album.

It's by a distance her lowest energy outing. Although tracks on her previous albums sounded something like jams, they made up for their primitive writing with bustling energy and a spontaneous feel. Trading in that youthful exuberance for more carefully worked compositions has been a bad deal, as pieces like East Side Glory drift aimlessly past. Her writing feels awkward, while her exaggerated singing sounds uncomfortably laboured – a prime culprit being her sung protests on Nothing Is Easy, which jars against any kind natural, melodic feeling the instruments struggle to build up.

There's some points here for the defence. The boundlessly optimistic Year Of The Glad opens the record with a glint in its eye and chorus that has Stern yipping in staccato like a happy dog with hiccups. It's a clever idea that incorporates her naturally skippy sense of rhythm. For sure, good pop music can be innovative or surprising. But it also needs some melodies – good, old fashioned elements like compelling verses and (duh) catchy choruses. This is where ...Marnia falls agonizingly flat. No one knows what lies next in these chronicles, but a commercial breakthrough doesn't look likely.