The Julie Ruin's debut album 'Run Fast' is the closest to the punk pop euphoria of Yeah Yeah Yeahs' debut album a decade ago that I've heard since. That was an album I adore to this day, and this similarly bursts and bristles with energy, and boy, Kathleen Hanna, for a woman in her mid-forties proves how age isn't a factor as she screams and howls and sings into the wind, teaching a whole younger generation just how it should be done. Hanna has been around in one incarnation or another for over two decades, but the version that arrives here would seem to know exactly what she wants from life, from music, and how to say what she has inside. It's compelling to witness on this record.
It's a lot of fun. It sounds like the artist is both youthful and experienced all at once, there is an exuberance that pours out of the speakers from song after song here. Its rough edges are deliberate, it explores other vibes and sounds within its punky pop songs. There is a multitude of ideas on display, all executed to near faultlessness. From the artwork to the supporting musicians it's an attractive package. There are lyrics that well depict the times and I'm not one for picking individual songs where albums are concerned as they fail to give an overview of what is on offer. If an artist has created an album, then my hope would be that it's because that is how it should be heard - as a complete set of songs held together. More often than not singles are taken from an album before and after its release, but they are only indicators of an act at that period and an album is the whole picture.
Hanna's voice has something to say, and deserves to be heard. It isn't forced into screaming, the weight is sublime, she knows when to explode and quiet down again. Her voice takes a natural course in reaching the yelping heights it does so well, and it's an inescapable conclusion and a weapon used to devastating effect. Her gentler tones are more profound as a nice counter to the fiercer moments. The voice fits excellently with the crisp and acute band, and genuinely seems to represent the woman, her thoughts and feelings. In short, it is a voice wielded shockingly well. It isn't about how technically good a voice is, but how it can be used to paint a picture on a blank canvas, along with the other instruments.
The noise here is from start to finish soulful, beautiful, well-crafted, inspirational and as much as anything thrilling. It's a little like a rollercoaster ride to those who love them, the rush is surely addictive and must be repeated. Being unsure as I am just how long it took to make, I can only suggest that it took exactly the amount required. Here is a gorgeous and delightful cacophony of an album, that shows age is no boundary when the heart and the head combine in the making of music.
Get on board, in a year full of strong releases I'd say this is up towards the top end, without a doubt.
'Run Fast' by The Julie Ruin is out now.
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