The much anticipated second album of the alternative-pop sounding Letters To Cleo is both a disappointment and an achievement. It may sound funny to describe Wholesale Meats and Fish with such ambiguity, especially since their 'sound' is rather unique and consistent, but true to form, the finished product always reveals the motivations of the energies behind it. Which in this case, is as inconsistent and confused as the lyrics themselves.
Wholesale Meats and Fish contains only a smattering of the unique sound that originally brought LTC recognition on the Melrose Place soundtrack. What is replaced instead, is an overwhelming amount of busy guitar, resulting in what sounds like an contrived effort to appear more 'alternative.' Kay Hanley has an exceptional voice and yet throughout half the album it is hidden behind the music. This is a peculiar point, since the music itself seems to be competing with her crystalline, yet quirky voice rather than complementing it. The result is an album that sounds more thrown together than carefully crafted.
The best track off the record is by far the single "Awake." The lyrics are vague and meaningless and they actually start out repeating themselves: "I guess it's been awhile and a long time too" but somehow they have managed to make them work here. The song is cheerful and upbeat and actually gives resonance to the phrase,"You're awake and I'm asleep and we are so complete that way...You're asleep and I'm awake and everything is so great." These are, of course, the best lyrics of the album, as they go way downhill from here.
The song "Jennifer" simply grates on the nerves as Hanley moans in a scratchy voice "Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer..." over and over and over again. Then in the song "Demon Rock" the unorganized and discordant guitar is responsible for distracting the listener rather than drawing them in. "Acid Jed" is a feeble attempt at using the abstract to convey meaning with lyrics such as, "I was counting all the monsters I am ever going to be and I was falling a thousand miles an hour swirling around, the only sound was Acid Jed." The meaning is completely lost, if there ever was a meaning in the first place, and instead the lyrics sound ridiculous. And the music simply isn't appealing enough for the listener to forgive the error.
The overall impression of the record sounds as if the band tried too hard to be trendy and in the process wound up losing their signature sound. Hanley's voice is their biggest asset and they completely overlooked the numerous possibilities they have within their reach to utilize her voice to the fullest. Their first album, Aurora Gory Alice is definitively better than their current Wholesale Meats and Fish and I am confident that if the band focuses on their strengths rather than the current trend, their third will be their best album yet.
