The Cell Phones stand alone

Just last week I was moping about THE SAD STATE OF ROCK in 2013 (thus far) and then all of a sudden THE CELL PHONES from Chicago ILLINOISE toss this fan-fucking-tastic thang named Get You Alone out there for all the world to hear and single-handedly save everything. SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP, FALL OUT BOY.

Look, this isn’t a perfect record, but it’s close. The only thing I have problems listening to on this is the sometimes off-the-rails drumming of Justin Purcell (seriously, there are moments when he’s hitting things so fast it sounds like a recording or mechanical malfunction of some sort) but that’s a minor matter. What really is important here is how fantastic front-and-center-woman Lindsey Charles is with both her ideas for songs and they way that she’s BELTING them out. Lindsey Charles can sing, people. She would sound great singing stupid Sammy Hagar rock and roll songs, but she can write as well as she can sing AND… she’s sexy, frank, funny, daring, vulnerable… she’s all girl.

Any woman who can rock an opener about her period and hilariously give it a title like “Heavy Flow” has my attention. Any woman who can totally nail the exhilaration and uncertainty of new relationships and then wail mercilessly on a brash chorus like “Work this body, crash this party to get you alone” has my adoration. I heard about The Cell Phones last summer after they played a show at the annual PRFBBQ bash in Chicago and regretted missing them. After hearing Get You Alone, I will not make the same mistake again.