Album review: Colleen Green, "Sock it to Me"

Colleen Green's music is what you get when you take the sounds of ‘60s girl groups and simple ‘70s punk and update it for 2013. That means charming melodies, simple but strong riffs, occasional synths and a drum machine.

It's not so minimal as to be quiet or half-empty, but there's no fuss. Sock it to Me is a record that believes ideas can translate in 2-5 minutes, with direct songwriting, a couple hard-hitting chords and steady drum beat.

The lyrics are delightfully easy and often repetitive. There's “Only One,” in which Green coos, “Oh yeah / Uh huh / Oh god / I really love my boyfriend,” or “You're So Cool,” which is mostly variations of the line "All I do, all I do, all I do, all I do is wait around and think of you, you, you, you.” Rarely does she betray any deeper emotion than “heavy shit on my mind.” The closest you get to something really meaningful is the juxtaposition of “Every Boy Wants A Normal Girl” and “Taxi Driver.” The first song finds her wishing to be a normal girl, though in a way that really hates the idea. The next is the admission that, no, really she'd rather be a taxi driver who doesn't have to talk to anybody and can drive around all night.

Slow songs like “Close To You” tend to fall flat, though the guitar riff on that one is pretty satisfying. It's not as engaging at the poppier stuff and shows that when you go too minimal with this kind of music, it's not interesting. But then the heavier, sludgier chords and guitar solo on “Darkest Eyes” show that it can work if you fill up some room.

It doesn't seem like Green would be too worried about that criticism. The appeal of Sock it to Me is the grungy pop sentiment of, “Here's what I got. No questions.”