GIRLS' MUSIC REVIEW: KATE NASH

Kate Nash, originally uploaded by beezeebeebee.

The votes are in from us for the new Kate Nash album, My Best Friend Is You, and we are simply in love. Her first album, Made of Bricks (which we used a lyric from as this Quote of the Week back in March) played on ipod loop almost non stop when it first came out, so we were nervous as to whether or not she could follow up such artistic success in her second album. Often put in the same category as Lily Allen since both are England based, we think they are distinctly different in vibe and style.

We ultimately think that the new album is less focused than the first, but we are cool with that. Both albums carry a resonance with us girls, but in very different ways. Made of Bricks was much lighter and more tender. My Best Friend is You is filled with the lyrics of being in a crisis of self reflection, identity and dealing with others. These thoughts are evident in "Do Wah Doo" (I'll just read a book instead/I don't care if we're just friends) to "Don't You Want to Share the Guilt?" (Thinking is one of those stressful things I've ever come across/And not being able to articulate what I want to say drives me crazy). Whether we are talking to boys we like, parents, teachers or friends, most of us can relate to not always having the right thing to say that describes how we feel. Nash is not only able to capture this frustration of communication barriers, but also how raw anger creeps in when we get frustrated.

Some of our favorite tracks on the album are "I Hate Seagulls," a play on a love song while expressing unrelated disappointment in life, and "Pickpocket," about saying goodbye to a relationship of sorts gone awry.This album is also packed full of fab high energy songs that are nicely juxtaposed with some heartbreaking lyrics. We have had our speakers turned all the way up to jump around to "Take me to a Higher Plane," "Paris" and "Early Christmas Present."

We think Kate Nash rocks for so many reasons--from her catchy melodies that get stuck in your head (in a good way) to her lyrics of sheer honesty--we want to induct her into the Girls in the Hall Club as one of our across the pond members and would happily be her friends anytime.


Warning--This album has some mature language and subject matter.