LoneLady - "Nerve Up"

LoneLady’s debut album "Nerve Up" along with The Fall’s "Your Future Our Clutter" dominated our April playlist, as you can see here. LoneLady is the project of Manchester musician Julie Campbell who not only composed all of the songs on "Nerve Up" but also played everything on it apart from the drums (that’s the job of Andrew Cheetham) and co-produced it with Guy Fixsen (ex member of Moonshake and Laika whose illustrious producing / engineering credits include working with The Breeders, Throwing Muses, Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine among many others).

Although the album is released on Warp Records, famous for its pioneering electronic music releases, "Nerve Up" is rooted in the early '80s post-punk sound, echoing not only the rich tradition of LoneLady’s hometown on this genre but also the angular punk funk of Gang Of Four or The Au Pairs. There are also hints of P.J. Harvey on "Nerve Up" as well as a distinctive American rock influence, with the fervor of Kristin Hersh and the nervy guitars of early R.E.M. or Talking Heads coming to mind. But despite the strong influences of indie rock's former glories, the end result is anything but retro. The simple, sharp guitar lines and the insistent, crisp percussion that drive the album's ten tracks sound urgent and fresh, creating a modern rock record that can work just as well on the indie-disco dance floor.

Read here what Paul Morley had to say about LoneLady and grab here an mp3 of "Immaterial", one of her singles included in "Nerve Up".

LoneLady - Intuition (LA Session)