National Music Reviews
Minmae
I’d Be Scared, Were You Still Burning
Greyday Productions
Street: 06.07
Minmae = Lou Reed – David Bowie + Swans – Brilliant lyricism
It’s that deadpan vocal, not quite singing but more dramatic than simple narration, that worked for everyone from Lou Reed to Jarvis Cocker and in a regard, Joy Division. But there is a fine line that keeps the aforementioned from sounding like William Shatner. It isn’t that Minmae are full of camp and tongue-in-cheek, but they’re far from great storytellers. I’d Be Scared … is like taking The Swan’s Michael Gira and stripping him into something accessible; the mysterious magic starts to slip away.
This review originally appeared in Glitter Gutter Trash, August 2005, Issue 200.