Charlotte Hatherley - Bastardo

  by Sarah Rowland

published: 8 / 2 / 2005

Label: Double Dragon
Format: CDS

intro

Second single from Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherly's debut album 'Gray Will Fade', which while maintaining "the more obvious Ash sound still holds on to Charlottes own musical identity"

'Bastardo' is the second single from Charlotte's debut album, 'Gray Will Fade'. The title track is a pop-y summer tune that takes me back to beaches and summer romance. The lyrics bounce along and will have you singing away in no time. Charlotte sings about her guitar being stolen by a one night stand and while the rocking guitar sounds of Ash can be heard her raw yet graceful voice gives Charlotte's solo music a sound of its own. '3 Minutes' breaks into a soulful saxophone solo somewhere in the middle of the song. The sound works surprisingly well alongside Charlotte's guitar but the riffs do get a bit repetitive towards the end of the song. It is more indie-pop than 'Bastardo' and follows on the love-gone-wrong theme. This song reminds me of early Garbage songs. With a soul track played over the top, it works as a B-side but the album doesn't lose anything in the absence of '3 Minutes'. 'I Am A Kamera' has a strong Ash sound. It's darker than the other songs on the single and has more rocking electric guitar riffs with a strong drumbeat behind Charlotte's grittier sounding voice. The song is about the goldfish bowl aspect of fame and even with the more obvious Ash sound still holds on to Charlottes own musical identity.

Track Listing:-