Violent Mae’s Second Album Is a Sizzling Triumph

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Monika Bauerlein,
CEO

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December is make-or-break for Mother Jones’ fundraising, and in "No Cute Headlines or Manipulative BS," we hope that giving it to you as matter-of-fact as we can will work to raise the $350,000 we need to raise this month. Donations make up 74 percent of our budget this year, and all online gifts will be matched and go twice as far until we hit our goal.

Violent Mae
Kid
Telegraph Recording Company

Becky Kessler, singer and guitarist for the Connecticut duo Violent Mae—Floyd Kellogg plays the other instruments—has a voice deserving of your undivided attention. Like a more excitable version of The Mynabirds’ Laura Burhenn, with hints of Dusty Springfield’s soul and Bjork’s lunacy, she projects a brooding unease that implies looming storms of emotion, edging ever closer to a full-fledged outburst, yet never losing control. From the bluesy slow-burn of “IOU,” where she proclaims herself a “bad actress,” to the thrilling jitters of “In the Sun,” to the footstomping “Murdered Bird,” the twosome’s second album is a sizzling triumph.