Melissa Auf der Maur - Auf Der Maur

Melissa Auf Der Maur’s musical career could be looked at as a mixed bag of blessings. Jumping onto the scene as the bassist for Hole, she achieved the dream of being able to make music for a living and perform. But going on that ride with Courtney Love couldn’t have been easy. From there she jumped over to The Smashing Pumpkins, one of the biggest bands of our time. This time she was facing a tall task by replacing a longstanding member of the band, but once again she was in the shadow of a larger than life frontperson in Billy Corgan. No one can argue that the pluses have outweighed the minuses and that being in two successful bands is a dream, but stepping out of the shadows and into the light of control has got to be a good feeling for Melissa. Auf Der Maur was financed by everything Melissa has earned and culminates in an album she has long dreamed of making. Luckily for us it was money well spent. The album does showcase some of the same influence Melissa had on her former bands, but for the most part, it is a heavier, more bass-driven affair (no surprise there). A lifelong musician, it isn’t surprising that her disc is very tight instrumentally, but somewhat pleasantly surprising is how clean her voice is. The leading single “Followed The Waves,” starts with a siren scream sending notice that the once shy girl has come full circle to be a woman of rock. “Real A Lie” and “Taste You” highlight the front half of the album with heavy but catchy melodies that are instantly contagious. “I’ll Be Anything You Want” and “My Foggy Notion” show her keen ability to construct opening guitar riffs, and build a solid song on top of them. “Overpower Thee” stands out from the disc as a piano driven moody PJ Harvey-esque track, giving the album a glimpse of versatility. One of the strongest aspects of the album is the diversity of its similar songs. Some songs open with bass, some with catchy guitar riffs, and “Skin Receiver” opens with a drum beat to drive the song, yet all stay true to the style of the album, just using different instrumental focus to give the songs character. “I Need I Want I Will” caps off the disc with the heavy influence of Josh Homme, also evident throughout multiple other tracks of the album. This is a strong debut effort from an artist who has been part of our rock world for a long time. Each track blends a heavy base with catchy melodies to form a rock album well worthy picking up and listening to. Perhaps the greatest achievement of the album is that you get the feeling that after all the years and miles, Melissa finally gets to have her shining moment. It is always a good thing when one of music’s genuinely good people gets something they deserve. Not only deserved, but earned, with a great album. [www.aufdermaur.com]