Here We Go - I’ve always had a soft spot for grrrl rock bands. Especially growing up, I loved the panache most girl acts had. I loved groups like Banannarama; Bangles; The Go Go’s; The Cover Girls and the other defining female groups of the time. TUULI is no exception. Hailing from Oakville, Ontario in Canada they pack quite a punch with their power-pop sound and harmonies. They came in 2nd place on The H.M.D. Music Resource Guide’s “Best New Artist/Band” category in 2002. I can see the energetic music from the 80’s slowly on the rise again with the likes of this band. Thank God!! I’m so tired of that grungy “I hate myself and bummed out” crap that resulted from the early 90’s. There were a lot of great acts from that period but it’s time to move on. Here We Go is their 2002 major label debut and follow up to their first release, Rockstar Potential. Their album cover is fairly simple in it’s layout. The four of them in a convertible all huddled close together. The colors are very “girly”- blue and pink pastels and soft tones at that. The pictures of them through out the album are pretty cool. Mainly their faces and upper bodies are in focus, the rest of them are slightly blurred. TUULI consist of Jenny MacIsaac (Guitar/Vocals); Claire Blake (Bass/Vocals); Dawn Mandarino (Guitar/Vocals) and Jen Foster (Drums/Vocals). Did I mention that they’re hotties too? The opener “Wake Up”, has a fade in squeal into the guitar harmonies. Instantly you get a complete feel of what to expect. They rock! Polished to a fine precision and they sing very well together, which is good. There is no defining “lead singer”, but it seems Jenny MacIsaac might do the majority of leads. The production is very slick and the tune itself is about wondering when a friend’s gonna stop hurting herself from taking pills and the like and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. “It’s Over”, the first single and one of my faves off the disc, tells the final call to her beau. Tired of him walking out on her and only wants her when she’s not around. I’d think I’d kick him to the curb too! “Where Are You Now” is the 3rd track on this pop-powerhouse. A simple song about how the ex has gone nowhere but she’s gone everywhere that she wanted to after they split. The next one is another of my faves, “Thousand Stars” and has a killer intro. A very big “power-ballady” chord arrangement like the old days of 80’s commercial rock mixed with a solid beat. Their Beatle-esqe harmonies continue to grow solid. Unfortunately, there’s only a keyboard solo that really doesn’t do this song justice. As I listen onward, I hope that there’s some material that shows their prowess on the guitars a little bit more. I find that on the next track, “Rockstar Boyfriends”. A fast paced rocker about how hard it is to keep a relationship with her rockstar boyfriend. His ego is out of control and how fake he really is just because his band is popular. I find myself singing along due to its catchy chorus. The funniest part is the phone conversation in the middle of the tune before the guitar solo hits. The guy calls her and brags about how the show was wall-to-wall with girls and the bus broke down so it’ll be another night before they get back. Classic cannon fodder for chicks to write “dump him” songs. Some guys must really think girls are that stupid. HELLO Guys are we listening?!?! “Summer Song” has some annoying ‘hey yeah yeah’ pop harmonies. Gets a little old by the third verse. The music itself is still solid. “Whipped” tunes it down an octave for a more serious sound. The guitar solo on this is pretty good and fits the song quite well. The guy has no drive of his own apparently. The end of the song has a nice little break for Claire’s bass to breath on it’s own. “10 Miles To Go” is simply about heading to the next gig cause that’s what they live for. The bridge has a killer lyric, “We’re gonna make you sing the chorus. That ain’t a threat man, it’s a promise. You can try, but you can’t stop us.” Nuff said eh? Estrogen power baby! “Who’s The Fool Now?” is the second single with a good sing-along chorus. It was previously included on Rockstar Potential. However on the next cut, I swear I’ve heard this guitar lick from somewhere before on “Heartbreaker”’s opening. Almost reminiscent of Ted Nugent’s “Dog Eat Dog”. Another song about ego-tripping boys that lie and fool around. Starting to sound the same. “Denial” is realizing that it’s time to move on. The title track “Here We Go” is a quick paced pop-punk song about him being way out of control in everything he does. Drinking too much, driving too fast, never giving her a break and doesn’t listen to a word she says. I liked the lyric, “You just don’t see that you’re life is a mess. And I just keep up with your worst at my best.” Good guitar work on this as well. The disc ends with a bonus pop remix of “It’s Over”. Nicely done I might say. I actually like both versions of the song. I hope on their next disc they can work on their chops a little more. Overall, I think if TUULI get past the bubblegum rock subject matter they will go really far. If this is any indication of polished production pop rock on the rise, I welcome it for some reasons and loathe it on others. If it gets out of control like most pop genre’s do, its originality will be short lived. In other words, it will be polished quantity over quality. That’s why the 80’s metal scene buckled under it’s own weight and it took N.W.A. and eventually Nirvana to kill it and make it anew. I wish these grrls all the best and hope to see them LIVE soon. You can visit TUULI online at www.TUULI.com Sonny Thomas 3.2.03 |
