Artist: Go Betty Go
Label: SideOneDummy Records
Release: 2005
Length: 37:39
Rating: 4/5
Go Betty Go are a quartet from Los Angeles. It took them four years to finally put out their studio debut “Nothing Is More” (2005), which is best described as alternative rock holding pop punk’s hand. What a crazy mashup, right? But hey, anything goes these days. How can punk be pop, or the other way around? To hell with it… all that counts is good music.
The stuff in that first paragraph sounds pretty ordinary, at least until the female factor kicks in. Go Betty Go are four girls. Did the hair on your neck just bristle and your ears perk up? Sure, all-female bands are on the rise these days, but for every single one, there are still about 100 all-male bands out there. Go Betty Go are a band that will cure you of underestimating the gentle sex whenever they get down to making some proper rock n’ roll noise. They hit notes that, in both substance and recognizability, easily eat plenty of alternative rock bands with all-male lineups for breakfast.
Go Betty Go aren’t “overnight” musicians who just play with “dangerous toys” in the studio out of boredom and general comfort-induced saturation. These girls wield those toys with serious skill, and in their hands the toys turn into genuinely dangerous weapons that fully justify their purpose.
The girls serve us twelve ridiculously simple, snappy songs in a seriously effective way, blending a decent dose of rock n’ roll noise and teenage arrogance with an infectious melodic streak. The main culprit there is the voice of singer Nicolette, who sounds cheeky and “bitchy”, like a veil of powdered sugar dusted on top of mom’s apple strudel into which a handful of dried, ground-up red Balkan chili peppers has accidentally spilled. There’s no shortage of temperament here. The sisters Nicolette (vocals) and Aixa (drums), with their Argentinian roots, definitely add to the quartet’s Latin spice.
The girls gallop unstoppably through 12 songs! At their core they give us bold, “in your face” rock n’ roll blasting, and the cheerful Saturday, I’m From L.A. and Get Out (the latter with an especially wrecking-ball lead motif and a wild rhythmic backbone) drag us straight into that vibe. At the same time, within this tried-and-tested, mostly predictable formula, the girls find their way around very nicely, working in elements of ska as well as Latin rhythms and melody (e.g. The Pirate Song). The band’s rock n’ roll is stripped of all frills and any overcomplication. Two of the songs are written in Spanish. No Hey Padron artfully crosses ska elements with a r n’ r ride, and the Spanish language, which takes over the song, fits it perfectly, as it does in Donde Voy, placed toward the end of the album, where the girls use the same formula but with differently combined motifs. It works incredibly well, especially the Latin-flavored disguise worn by the venomous guitar riff used here. The album’s pop punk accent is then confirmed once more by the closer Unreal. If you had to pick the song that would work best on the radio, then besides the first three tracks it’s definitely Runaway, which could easily be released as a “single” given its level of melody and rock n’ roll tightness. The least successful track on the album is the only mellow one, Ticking Bombs, precisely because of that mellowness, which edges toward generic. Go Betty Go are strongest, and work best, when they’re at their most furious!
Go Betty Go have incredible potential. This music was born for the stage and the party, and the energy it radiates sends you into instant, proud switch-off mode. Go Betty Go radiate the free-wheeling charge of untamed youth, driven by a hunger to taste the untasted. As a debut, “Nothing Is More” is far from naive. The girls know exactly what they want to offer, and the album comes across as incredibly convincing. I’d also single out the excellent “garage” production. With this much zeal, Go Betty Go could grow into something as popular as, say, Kitty. And where’s Kitty today, does anyone even remember them? Successors wanted, then. Well, well… We’ll see what time brings.
Lineup
Nicolette Vilar – vocals
Betty Cisneros – guitar, backing vocals
Michelle Rangel – bass
Aixa Vilar – drums, backing vocals
Production
Ted Hutt
Tracklist
1. Saturday
2. I’m From L.A.
3. Get Out
4. The Pirate Song
5. You Want It All
6. No Hay Perdon
7. Runaway
8. Crumbling Down
9. Ticking Bombs
10. Laugh Again
11. Donde Voy
12. Unreal
