Danielle Dax - Jesus Egg That Wept (1983 Indie Rock)

Dax's second LP, Jesus Egg That Wept, takes its name from a headline in a supermarket tabloid. Here you'll find enough peculiar characters -- from psychotic star-crossed lovers to slave-holding bible thumpers -- to fill up an issue of The Weekly World News. Perhaps her best song to date, "Evil Honky Stomp" combines a looped sample from an old honky tonk number ("Jukebox Boogie") and some bad-to-the-bone guitar buzz for a tale of bigotry and religious hypocrisy. As always, Dax's most potent weapons are her vocals, which sound at points like Kate Bush's sardonic sister, while at other instances they approach near-Elvis impersonation. Karl Blake, Dax's former Lemon Kittens mate, lends a hand on one track. As on Pop-Eyes, the arrangements are spare but effective, with most songs recorded on a Teac 4-track.

AMG Review by Michael Jourdan

Danielle Dax - Inky Bloaters (Great Alternative Rock 1987)

After a nearly hermetic approach on her first two albums, Dax opened things up a bit on Inky Bloaters by recording with a band and sharing songwriting credits with David Knight. The resulting sound is "bigger" and more commercial than her previous work, with many songs taking on the traits of the guitar-driven dance-pop that ruled the airwaves in the '80s. The funky "Big Hollow Man" takes a page from Prince, while "Flashback" could almost be a Blondie single. While undeniably catchy, more conventional arrangements date some of this material in a way that her earlier idiosyncratic efforts avoided. Still, on the best tracks (like the sitar-infused "Where the Flies Are"), Dax's voice remains distinctive.

AMG Review by Michael Jourdan

Danielle Dax - Blast the Human Flower (Superb Post-Punk 1990)

This is another interesting outing from Danielle Dax, a woman who's shown a talent for absorbing more than a few world music influences into her quirky brand of smoky pop. Here she picks up on the Beatles' Indian classical influences with her cover of Lennon/McCartney's "Tomorrow Never Knows," a Turkish dervish music in the hypnotic, swirling "Bayou," and melodic power pop in "The Id Parade," the sarcastic opening track. It doesn't always work quite as well as it should, with some numbers, like "Big Blue '82'," falling short of the mark and never quite gelling, and others not quite developing beyond a few good ideas and a nifty rhythmic pulse, as happens on "King Crack."

The nice side is that Stephen Street's production keeps things filled out, giving Dax's very pretty voice plenty of room to work (especially on the beautiful "Daisy," a story of tragedy framed in a light, sweet musical landscape) while filling the gaps in some of the songs with interesting instrumental work. Check out "Dead Man's Chill," with its mix of chugging rhythm guitars, stomping drums (the drum machine work on this album is superb, by the way) and biting lead guitar. When the songs are on target and developed, the result is terrific, sharp material. Check out "Jehovah's Precious Stone" and the magnificent "16 Candles," the closing tale of a lover's tragic devotion. In summary, an excellent shot across the bow -- there's a lot of good music here, and some not so good, but it's worth checking out.

AMG Review by Steven McDonald