Instantly there is something so familiar about The Ettes. It’s that feeling you’ve heard these songs before and they are a welcomed friend. The Ettes don’t mind allowing their influences show in their songs. ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ features country slide guitar behind a couple of open chords, paying homage to old Nashville. The chorus to ‘Modern Game’ could have come from the lips of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O with the lyric “big cheater it’s a bitch to see you.”
At times the band delve deep into the fuzz induced rock stylings made famous by The Black Keys, like on ‘Blood Red Blood’. Other times they touch on the sweet pop nature of Tegan & Sara. And the opening guitar lick to ‘Seasons’ sounds just like The White Stripes ‘I Think I Smell A Rat’.
With all of these great influences behind them, the songs on Do You Want Power could have easily come out sounding like a band trying too hard. What The Ettes have achieved is to meld these influences into their song writing to write great tunes that get better with continued listens. ‘Walk Out That Door’ is a foot stomping blues jam while ‘Keep Me In Flowers’ allows vocalist Coco to let her voice rise up and end the album on a beautifully sombre note.
Here, a little group from Nashville have put together one of the best albums you’ll hear all year. And yes, technically it was released in 2009 but only received distribution in Australia this year so it qualifies for end of year best-ofs, and can definitely make the grade. If you like your music bluesy, with balls and a swagger while keeping melody and class, The Ettes Do You Want Power should satisfy your (oddly specific!) needs.
