The album distills my years of musical, political, and artistic life with these genre-breaking songs,” says The Raincoats’ Gina Birch of her first-ever solo album. “It’s a personal diary using sounds and lyrics, full of fun, rage, and storytelling.” That about sums it up. Producer Youth has a way of coaxing the best out of artists, creating a comfortable atmosphere that allows them to be themselves, and it’s clear that he and Birch hit it off. “I Play My Bass Loud” is terrific, funny, whipsmart, angry and never less than entertaining — a protest album that doesn’t forget to dance. Songs play like signboards, but feel more inclusive and defiant than didactic, even on a JAMC-ish, hissing force-of-nature song like “I Am Rage.”
Forty-six years after she’d co-founded The Raincoats, painter/ video-maker/post-punk pioneer Birch’s solo debut was a vigorous low-end manifesto, a celebration of feminist energy and bass moves (Youth co-produced, with heavy reggae accents). The vibes were righteous throughout, as Birch hymned Pussy Riot, denounced stilettos, roped in Thurston Moore for the Breeders-ish anthem “Wish I Was You”, and corralled five female bassists for the suitably rousing title track.
The Fat Angel Sings 