Kate Pierson – Guitars and Microphones (Album Review)

By now, enthusiasts of New Wave, and Alternative Rock in general, should already know who Kate Pierson is. However, for the sake of the uninitiated, the multi-instrumentalist Pierson is the lead female vocalist of The B-52s. This pioneering and long-running American New Wave-classifiable band has released seven studio albums, from 1979’s self-titled debut to 2008’s Funplex, and a string of chart-topping singles that included “Rock Lobster,” “Planet Claire,” “Private Idaho,” “Legal Tender,” “Love Shack,” “Roam,” “Deadbeat Club,” “(Meet) The Flintstones,” and “Juliet of the Spirits.” The music of The B-52s has always stood out among its contemporaries because of its unique blend of Punk’s quirkiness, New Wave sensibilities, Pop tendencies, and Funk’s slinkiness and bounciness. Its ultimate sense of identity, however, rides on the dynamic vocal interplay of Pierson and fellow lead singer Fred Schneider. This female-male combo nestles comfortably on their band’s unmistakable sound that has remained intact, without the need to jump into any bandwagon or to be affected by whatever new trend that developed in the music scene in the last forty years, since their formation.

In fact, The B-52s has influenced fellow artists/bands from across genres. Its music may be gleaned from the works of the likes of Fuzzbox (“Pink Sunshine”), Sleater-Kinney (“Words and Guitar”), No Doubt (“Get on the Ball”), Karen O and the rest of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs (“Maps”), The Pipettes (“Your Kisses Are Wasted on Me”), and Metric (“Combat Baby”). Even Madonna (“Hollywood”), in an interview with Mojo Magazine in its January 2015 issue, acknowledged that she was influenced by “Blondie, Talking Heads, [and] The B-52s.” Ultimately, John Lennon did acknowledge that one of the reasons he decided to return to making music was his having heard “Rock Lobster,” which resulted in his final album with Yoko Ono, 1980’s Double Fantasy (“Kiss Kiss Kiss”). That was how far-reaching and eclectic the clout of this band is. Most of these individuals whom The B-52s has influenced were unanimous in citing Pierson’s vocal styling and aesthetic appeal as the primary aspects of the band that had really inspired them.

Apart from her being a key member of The B-52s, which she co-founded in 1976 in Athens, Georgia, with Schneider, Cindy Wilson, Ricky Wilson, and Keith Strickland, Pierson has also featured prominently in a couple of eventual hit singles by fellow pioneering artists such as “Candy” by Iggy Pop and “Shiny, Happy People” by R.E.M. Her distinctively chirpy and powerful voice, ebullient personality, and ’60s Pop–influenced girlish fashion sense continue to be her personal trademark. However, acknowledging her becoming a solo artist, one wonders what took Pierson so long to embark on this. Nevertheless, it does not matter anymore. The songs that Pierson delivers in her first-ever solo album are golden ripe and well-nurtured by time. They pretty much compensated for this long overdue flight without her original co-pilots. Besides, her primary collaborator/co-songwriter for this album, the eclectic Australian singer-songwriter Sia Furler, is also a brilliant music veteran to be reckoned with.

Released on February 17, 2015, Kate Pierson’s debut album is entitled Guitars and Microphones. Despite the title, it is definitely not only about Pierson’s distinctive and captivating voice and layers of guitar melodies; it is also a mesh and lace of wonderfully weaved sonic sunspots and moonbeams, bursting onto an impressionistic landscape of Pop/New Wave splendor.

It opens right away with the sunny vibe of “Throw Down the Roses,” whose mood harks back to similar cheer-type songs like “Mickey” by Toni Basil, “Frankie” by Sister Sledge,” “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, and “Girlfriend” by Avril Lavigne. “Mister Sister” is a provocatively worded midtempo, further setting the thematic and sonic tone of the album: Identity empowerment and catchy ol’ melodic anthems. The title track then begins unassumingly with a cutesy, shimmery musicbox melody and then explodes into a confetti of rhythm and harmony.

“Crush Me with Your Love” is the album’s heart-rending ballad sung with a pained voice; the title says it all. The beat then becomes snappy again as the angular and funky “Bottoms Up” plays on, owing to the distinctive guitar work of the guesting Nick Valensi of the American Alternative Rock band The Strokes (“Someday”). Then spreading out with jubilation and overflowing with New Wave colors and Pop melodies is the energetic “Bring Your Arms,” which finds the voice of 66-year-old Pierson still sounding as if she was singing her band’s signature song “Rock Lobster” for the first time. “Wolves” is another ballad, full of sweet-sour metaphors (“Love in the summertime/ When the bluebells chime out loud/ You’re my fireplace/ My wild escape/ You light the bonfire in my barbwire heart/ All the past is dead and gone/ All that matters is love and freedom…”). The introspective preoccupation flows into the similar-structured “Matrix,” which has a hint of “Roam,” from 1989’s Cosmic Thing. The cheering style comes back with “Time Wave Zero,” a sound of momentary farewell, bringing the listener towards the end of the Milky Way. Finally, “Pulls You Under” is a fitting closer—slow, sweet, and somber—ending Guitars and Microphones with dreamy visions of what Pierson might be up to next and a feeling of longing for another offering of more than strums and voices.

Pierson took almost forty years to actualize her solo career. While some might ask why now, the proper response will be, “If not now, when else?” Whatever her reasons were for having taken this long, Pierson’s first solo venture without her old subsonic bomber, for all its colorful characteristics, is worth the wait. CrypticRock gives Guitars and Microphones 4 out of 5 stars.