PENNY IKINGER - Electra LP

Highly recommended.

Penny Ikinger started in distant past through her neat guitar work with The Wet Taxis and Louis Tilletts' Aspersion Caste. She sort of fell under our radar for a decade or so, but in 2003 she released Electra.

Electra showcases her suburb guitar playing and showcases her more than capable songwriting. Ikingers' femme vocals, sort of sounding like Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), Kendra Smith (Opal) and P.J Harvey all rolled into one, are kind of limiting, but this problem isn't really any concern especially when she whispers the lyrics on a number of the tracks which adds to a haunting feeling that singes our frayed nerves.

There's enough weird shit here to make it too unpopular for the masses, especially when she gets down on those distortion pedals and rides the waves of feedback like some cool surfy woman. We're particularly impressed with her deconstructed drug addled guitar line in The One I Sent Away and the deep emotional barrage welling up in Spinster.