Turn To Chocolate
“Reckless and spirited, She Mob recalls the days when wit and determination were treasured commodities in the punk community. Remember The Raincoats? The Pastels? She Mob stands in good company. – John Chandler, Portland Tribune, December 14, 2001
“They’ve tweaked their special brand of synthesized garage-pop so that it alternates between clangy Shirelles harmonies, Le Tigre’s didacticism, and the Softies’ sweet melodies. Tracks like “Tear Me Down” and “Your Therapy” have a more polished and tuneful power-pop feel, but She Mob still drop some weird but humorous songs (“Viagra”) and some furious, bass-heavy sludge fests “Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy”).” – Kim Newman, Venus Zine
“She Mob are serious musicians, yet they don’t seem to take themselves entirely seriously. This is a very important attribute in a punk rock band.” – Denise Sullivan, Contra Costa Times, February 8, 2002
Turn to Chocolate is the second CD from She Mob, which made it to #771 in the Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop Poll, startlingly ahead of Michael Jackson, thanks to Richard Riegel. Like chocolate itself, there’s plenty to enjoy on Turn to Chocolate: punk rock, jangly balladry, pop-o-rama and yes, even reggae. Lots of harmonies in English, Spanish and German ’cause it’s a big wide world out there, isn’t it?
This time the Mob expands with special musical guest stars, including Paul Jackson (Stiff Richards, Uptones), Michael Belfer (Black Lab), Myles Boisen (Splatter Trio, Tom Waits) and J Neo Marvin (solo artist and former X-Tal frontman).
Here’s Neo’s description of She Mob from his San Francisco Bay Guardian article:
“Forging a clangy but melodic sound out of their own mostly self-taught multi-instrumental skills (apart from drummer Lisa, everyone trades off guitar or bass), She Mob call up an odd array of echoes: ’60s girl singers, obscure early Rough Trade bands. But they remind me most of the mournful yet raucous and humorous music of the Cannanes or Scrawl. The thing that makes them more than another garage band is their stellar songwriting, the product of three writers whose individual styles are an outgrowth of their personalities.”
Available, for reals and downloads, at CD Baby and iTunes
- Viagra
- Your Therapy
- Off Ramp
- Tear Me Down
- Sopa Mendosa
- Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
- Caller I.D.
- New Lie
- Was Ist Das?
- So Sleepy
- I Am You
- Lite Roc
- Appropriate Wa
- Herbal Remedizer
Joy (Sue) Hutchinson – vocals, solo, rhythm & bass guitars, Thai bells * Lisa McElroy – vocals, drums, bottle * Diane Wallis – vocals, solo, rhythm & bass guitars, violin * Alan Korn – bass, solo & rhythm guitars, keyboards, mandolin, pedal steel, synth * copyright 2001 She Mob/Bonefish Publishing, BMI