Sarandon – 'The Feminist Third' (Wrath) Released 05/12/05

With a title like 'The Feminist Third' the mind gives way to nightmarish thoughts about a girrrl revival, and then you clock the bra wearing lady in the art work and think alas, what’s in a name? Well in this case literally not a lot. Sarandon are a band that live for a very short moment, The Feminist Third is their third 7 track mini album and is filled with oobershort (less than 2 minuets), shots of guitar lead fun; angular, foot-tapping, shoulder-twitching…POP! It’s sharp, it’s direct, it’s uncomplicated, and in fact it’s everything a good pop record should be.

Occasionally they do veer away from the pop model, 'Happy' a mere 55 seconds short, is a spastic, convulsive display of jazz that supersedes the ‘it’ bands favoured by the mainstream. But there’s clearly a punk ethic behind this poppy exterior, Don’t Say No is the anti-Christ to all those ‘Just Say No’ campaigns that plagued our childhoods, “Its common sense and employment/that enables your lack of enjoyment”. The punk mentality is carried throughout; Health mocks the gym frequenting crowd, parodying their incessant behaviour with boys running around the garden and supermarket in their underwear. Observing the absurd is something Sarandon do well;' A Hat', is more than just an immaculately produced piece of pop (that word again), the lead guitar is as simplistic as a bunch of kids stood with protruding tongues tipped with stores of leaping taunts, but it’s also an observation of the looks orientated nature of society, “I wasn’t flattered that you came/and I’ll be happy when you go/I can’t let people in the street/see me with you with hair like that.”

Its true what your year twelve tutors used to say to you, why say in ten words what you can make clear in five. Sarandon are the energy efficient pop band of the future, not quite as musically straight forward as Ramones inspired punksters, Sarandon aren’t limited to three chords and cool hair, but The Feminist Third is the soundtrack for a generation of impatience and a culture that needs everything now.