Deap Vally - Sistrionix (Deluxe Version) (2013)

Full of ragged, primitive, and stomping hard rock rhythms, distorted and greasy blues riffs, and shouted, shrieking vocals, the San Fernando duo Deap Vally, made up of guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Troy and drummer Julie Edwards, sound like the White Stripes or the Black Keys made over from the female side of things, with a sound that hits the same crunchy, thumping, swampy groove and looseness. Never mind that they met in a crochet class; these women can rock and make noise with the loudest and brashest out there, and their songs seethe with lust and frustration, pride and anger, drugs, drinking, and partying, with Troy's ragged, monster Led Zeppelin riffs and Edwards' wild mustang drumming keeping everything urgent and edgy. This duo aren't afraid of being political, either, or feminist, and some of their songs can be like impassioned, raging sermons, but they rock like hell, full of chaos and conviction, and if you want to talk about Girl Power, this is it. This is a band that had the media's attention the moment it was formed, and these self-professed Valley Girls look media-ready, sultry and trashy to just the right degree, and certainly marketable, especially given Deap Vally's thundering live sets. Sistrionix is this young duo's debut album, produced by Lars Stalfors, and it sounds huge, full of clanging, distorted guitar riffs, wild, galloping drums, and Troy's raging, impassioned vocals. With highlights like "End of the World," the defiant and declarative "Baby I Call Hell," the epic "Six Feet Under," and the sly "Gonna Make My Own Money," which, despite being sly is still a song that Troy shouts and screams like she's in a knife fight, this is a memorable debut. If there's a flaw here, it's that there's little change from song to song in pace and approach, but then, this is a duo built around simply hitting the pedal and going, clattering and thundering along, impossible to ignore.