Juliana Hatfield - Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure

After recording her Beautiful Creature album, Juliana Hatfield wanted to kick it up a notch. Recruiting pals Mikey Welch (Weezer) and Zephan Courtney, the trio quickly banged out Total System Failure, easily the loudest work Hatfield has done since her days in the Blake Babies. Those who thought that the Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter has gone all soft and frilly will relish the festive feedback and fuzztone, which is also sure to alienate plenty of listeners. Welch and Courtney hold down the rhythmic fort, allowing Hatfield plenty of room to scream, solo, and scream some more. While certain to be compared to Hole, the spirit is closer to the Pretenders. It's not a consistent success, but Hatfield keeps it interesting with some bile-soaked lyrics ("Scary breeders, they have come with their sons and daughters / One by one, mean and dumb / Have another") and a healthy cage-rattling attitude. --Jason Josephes