Sunday 31 March 2013

Hole - Miss World: Why I'm torn.

This isn't so much as a review as it is a... pondering, if you will. Well part review, part ponder. This is something I shouldn't like but when I listen to this song and judge it by its own merit -I like it. I almost find that embarrassing to admit because I really don't like Courtney Love. In fact I could say I hate her. I think she's an attention seeker in the worst sense. Moreover, I'm a big fan of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain, and in my humble opinion I do believe there is something potentially in the conspiracy theories that she had him killed. Anyhow - that's just subjective opinion and not really relevant to the music of Hole as an artist. Be fair, Clare! It's just I find it hard to fully enjoy a track whilst I'm still wondering if the singer of said track is a killer. It's quite a shame really because Courtney Love does actually have a good voice for rock/grunge styles. A really good voice to be perfectly honest. I love her grungy, hoarse sort of tone. And it doesn't just sound good on more brash numbers either - Miss World is more acoustic in places and she still sounds really good. I rather like the lyrics too which deal with self image. It was released as the first single from their second album Live Through This. Interestingly the album artwork of the record depicts the winner of some sort of beauty contest (or something similar) so I can only assume the theme of self image is a recurring theme of the album. I like records to be conceptualized like that in all honesty. As a random bit of trivia, the B-side to Miss World is a cover version of one of my all time favorite songs: Echo & The Bunnymen's Do It Clean. I digress however. I have to admit I'm even surprised myself I'm typing a rather favorable post for Hole. A few months ago I swore I'd never even attempt to listen to them because I just can't abide Courtney Love as a person. I have to give credit were credit is due though - I think I've judged her musical output far too soon. You're not going to convince me to like Courtney Love anytime soon, but if I can separate my dislike of her and her antics from her recorded output (which are two separate things I guess) then I may have found the most unlikely band to enjoy. Time will tell.

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