Mary Lou Lord

Martian Saints (Kill Rock Stars)
by Scott Hefflon

Love her or hate her, Boston busker-cum-major-label-debutante Mary Lou Lord is back with, Martian Saints, her final release for Kill Rock Stars. [Editor’s Note: “Busker” is the word pretentious people use to show off the fact that they know what a street/subway performer is called. The major which will soon be turning Mary Lou into yet another loathsome indie rock singer/songwriter cover girl is Work/Sony.] The Martian Saints EP has three songs from the Martian Saints 7″ (including a cover of Elliott Smith’s “I Figured You Out”) as well as covers of Pete Droge’s “Sunspot Stopwatch” and Peter Laughner’s “Cinderella Backstreet.”

Martian Saints opens with a full rock band sound (this one without back up vox by fellow former Bostonian Juliana Hatfield). Added bonuses are the campy space age sounds, MLL playing a theremin, and Nick Saloman playing something called a “giutar.” Instruments drop out song by song until we’re left with simply Mary Lou singing and playing guitar. That’s when she’s at her best. Fuck indie rock. Kill Rock Stars. Give me an acoustic guitar strummed more or less on the beat and a voice that fluctuates from shaky, to breathy falsetto whisper, to throaty croak, all more or less on pitch. Add lyrics of the kind of insight, wit, and humor that come from sucking too many exhaust fumes, and you’ve got the only singer/songwriter I don’t want to pelt with rocks. I’ll miss trains for you anytime, Mary Lou.