Leave 'Auf der Maur' on 'der' shelf

Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur's name is probably familiar to any modern rock fan because she has played in and with some of the most prominent bands and artists of '90s alternative rock. The contributing names in the booklet of her debut solo album, Auf der Maur, bring forth some familiar characters: James Iha of the Smashing Pumpkins, Paz Lenchantin of A Perfect Circle and Zwan, Eric Erlandson of Auf der Maur's previous band, to name a few. You can feel their influence on this record, but it doesn't hold up in comparison to, say, any Pumpkins album. It's just a strong debut with even stronger aspirations.\n"Lightning is My Girl" opens with a rush that sticks throughout the entire disc save one piano-laced cut. There's a heavy layered and developed rock sound pervading each of the tracks; Auf der Maur's musicianship isn't in question whatsoever. Despite a very high quotient of rockin'-ness, there are only four songs on this album that serve to stimulate beyond the way that a muzak version of your favorite song would stimulate you while trapped overnight in an elevator: "Beast of Honor," I'll Be Anything You Want," "Would if I Could" and the extra track sung mostly in French that I suppose must be called "Mon Amour." Her voice and lyrics are okay, but certainly not spectacular. Seriously, if you're going to sing in French, you could do better than to say "I'll cut you in half; I'm going to swallow you."\n"I'll Be Anything You Want" is a very strong track. The rest are just okay, and Auf der Maur's delivery tends to lean towards spoken word in parts (which gets really, really irritating). The album as whole sounds similar to the Pumpkins or A Perfect Circle, but unfortunately it lacks the intensity of either -- call me sexist, but this album would resonate and shake much more strongly if Maynard Keenan or Billy Corgan were singing. The overall impression of this album is that Melissa Auf der Maur has some very talented friends, but their music can only carry her so far. She hasn't the intensity of P.J. Harvey or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O., and despite Q magazine calling this "the first great rock album of 2004," I can assure you that better rock albums will come along made by artists with more than just good networking abilities.