Melissa Auf Der Maur has stepped out of the shadows of her Hole and Smashing Pumpkins past to front a rock crew of her namesake with surprising success. What with the Guano Apes stuck constantly in mainland Europe and Courtney Love stuck, well, on another planet, there is a definite gap in the market for female-fronted rock, but Melissa and the famous friends she calls in favours from on this track (including Queen Of The Stone Age's Josh Homme) do a lot more than merely fill a void.
Followed The Waves is a beast of a track on which Auf Der Maur demonstrates that she has a ferociously strong voice. The layered a cappella harmonies which introduce us to the ginger queen's world inform us from the outset that this is a professional affair, and with Chris Goss handling the production this comes as no surprise.
With the ability to handle both the material and ogling rock fans in a live setting, as seen recently supporting A Perfect Circle, Auf Der Maur should be worth a watch.
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