MP3 The Hissyfits - Letters From Frank

The Brooklyn-based female outfit the Hissyfits are sweet and sentimental, but still pack a lot of attitude. By disguising their angst and lyrical content of relationship frustrations with light but complex pop-punk, Letters From Frank combines the sound o

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Punk, POP: Bubblegum Pop



Details:
Biography

With no prior musical experience --just a sudden urge to rock-- Hissyfits founder Holly Jacobs impulsively quit a corporate job, grabbed a guitar, and headed to New York City. Surrounded by a continuously evolving line-up of super-talented punk rock ravens, she penned the misfit anthem "Something Wrong", which was hailed in Interview Magazine to be "Pop When Its Perfect."

From underground all-ages shows in rec halls and basements, The Hissyfits went on to tour the U.S. and abroad, playing events such as Joey Ramone's Birthday Bash, the Vans MTV Warped Tour, shows with The Killers and Jet, and music festivals in London and Amsterdam. They even had to reluctantly decline an invitation to play an early Strokes show due to a schedule conflict (their bass player had too much homework that night).

Sadly, while the band was supporting the release of their last EP Can't Keep Waiting in the U.K., Jacobs fell ill from physical and emotional exhaustion and The Hissyfits were compelled to go on indefinite hiatus shortly thereafter. Without tour support, Can't Keep Waiting was, unfortunately, put on the shelf. With their first EP Wish sold out, the critically-acclaimed Letters From Frank remains the first and only full-length Hissyfits CD currently available.

Get it now.

For more info on The Hissyfits, go to www.hissyfits.com





Review by Mike DaRonco
FROM ALLMUSIC.COM

The Brooklyn-based female outfit the Hissyfits are sweet and sentimental, but still pack a lot of attitude. By disguising their angst and lyrical content of relationship frustrations with light but complex pop-punk, Letters From Frank combines the sound of girl groups from the 1960s -- such as the Shangri-Las -- with a tougher disposition that resembles Sleater-Kinney, the Rondelles, and the Chubbies. No cheap gimmicks, like trying to be cute or incorporating a feel of '80s nostalgia -- just straightforward, catchy, and to the point.



5 out of 5 stars
From Metro Times
http://www.metrotimes.com

Itâs safe to say that the Hissyfits are a modern-day version of the Shangri-Las: Both are from Brooklyn and both show off a sweet, playful side. But the tough-girl attitude is obvious enough that youâll want to stay in their good graces. Sure, the Hissyfits donât have any choreographed dance routines, donât have any songs about dead biker ex-boyfriends, but if there was ever a remake of the Jack Hill 1970s exploitation âclassic,â Switchblade Sisters, Princess, Fon-Lin and P-Girl would definitely be shoo-ins for the lead roles.

Letters From Frank shows a side of angst and frustration in dealing with a relationship thatâs slowly going sour. As heard on âTiredâ: âDonât want to talk about it/you never listen anyway/I tried to scream and shout it/but you just looked the other way.â But at the same time, this distress is expressed with a background of sensitive vocals and punky guitar riffs bouncing between the Rondelles, the Chubbies and the Go-Goâs.

The vocal harmony complexities stand out the most throughout Letters From Frank. No indication is made of who sings lead because all three members contribute their own microphone skills. But on tracks such as âSuperstar,â âGiant Antsâ and âLock and Load,â it sounds as if everyone is singing a completely different song without any hint of getting lost in the technique.

The Hissyfits donât have any use for pop gimmicks, for trying to sound like Weezer â not that thereâs anything wrong with Weezer â but letâs be honest: The rock world is overrun by bands incorporating nerd glasses and Moog keyboards. Instead, the Hissyfits stand out with more of an aggressive pop-punk sound that gives off the impression that any of these women could drink you under the table.