Two Nice Girls
Chloe Liked Olivia (Rough Trade) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
Perhaps the best capsule description of Austin, Texas`s Two Nice Girls-who are actually a quartet-is a ”better playing and singing lesbian Bangles.” But rather than be consigned to the limited ”women`s music”
market, Two Nice Girls aim for a much wider audience. From the album`s title, taken from Virginia Woolf, to songs like ”Let`s Go Bonding” and ”The Queer Song,” the group`s members make no secret or apologies for their orientation. As Gretchen Phillips sings in ”The Queer Song” to a Bo Diddley beat, ”We`re gonna have a happy life/Both of us are gonna be the wife.” But it`s on the more mainstream songs like Kathy Korniloff`s poignant ”Eleven” and hypnotic ”Rational Heart,” and Pam Barger`s beautifully sung ”Only Today” that Two Nice Girls impress most. Swapping instruments and lead vocals throughout, they make affecting, eye-opening music worth seeking out.
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