Bridezilla - The First Dance

12 November 2009 by Max Easton

Since rising to fast fame with their much talked about self-titled EP in 2007, Sydney indie outfit Bridezilla have remained on the lips of music fans and the tips of the fingers of media types nationwide. With the release of ‘The First Dance,’ the eager wait for a debut album is now over, as Max Easton writes.

There are times when a whole host of great music has been thrust upon me to review that I start to feel that I’m no longer being genuine. In the last few months, anyone from the Fumes, to the Black Ryder, President Roots and Decoder Ring have whipped me into a frenzy of favorable adjectives. With Bridezilla’s debut album ‘The First Dance’ now playing away as I write this, I think I’m gonna have to dig out the thesaurus. This album is flipping fantastic…a quick glance at a thesaurus tells me that the album could also be implausible, preposterous and absurd based off that statement, so I think I’ll stick with repetitive praise.

From the scratching violin yelps and saxophone wines marking the beginning of the album’s opening track ‘Lunar Eclipse,’ the stage is set for what is to come; an epic feature of free-flowing, ebbing and flowing rock. The album’s opener has a massive sonic scope, like a war-scene in a big budget film, upsurging to an anticlimactic finish that yields to second track ‘Beaches.’ ‘Beaches’ is a stripped back, gorgeous rollick through Holly Sidewinder’s soaring vocals and stylized Hawaiian strings. Bang on through ‘Queen of Hearts,’ one of the album’s and Bridezilla’s most well-done tracks, featuring some signature vocal melodies floating above stilted percussion and a wall of saxophone and violin before the catchy-as-hell ‘Tailback’ bringing the album up to pace. Another highlight amongst a series of highlights, ‘Tailback’ is a gorgeous venture into an upbeat grunged out pop song, supported again by the phenomenal horn and bow of Millie Hall and Daisy Tulley respectively, perhaps in their most important and impressive venture on this album. The Pacific theme touched on in ‘Beaches’ is touched on again in ‘Shipping Man,’ with brief stringed moments breaking up the lethargic swoon of its whole.

These initial six tracks are the most well done, containing within some of the highest of the absolute highs that this album provides. The ensuing eight also provide some fantastic moments in the form of ‘Lottery Tickets,’ ‘Soft Porn and the somber waltz of ‘The Last Dance.’ Whilst it doesn’t quite ma tch the highs of the first half of the album, there’s no shortage of great tunes, and despite not receiving a mention, they play a commendable role in making the album whole.

‘The First Dance’ is a musical moment to be absolutely savoured. What is contained therein is a package of gorgeously crafted journeys that aurally pick and tease and admonish with such fervor as to drive you into rebuked submission. Like a siren singing you to shipwreck, it’s absolutely fucking enchanting. Bridezilla have crafted a piece of work that is amongst the finest things to have come out of 2009…it feels like I’m speaking out of turn here, and I’m sure my feelings won’t be echoed by everyone, but this album is truly brilliant. But hey, I can’t be responsible for my actions. I’ve fallen for whatever this is and I’m executing my right to remain in that spot until someone points out to me exactly why I shouldn’t. Fuck it, I’m giving it five stars. I’m not even going to throw in some piece of negativity to try and make me come across as reputable, I’m just going to rave about it until I reach 600 words….or near enough…yes…in fact, that will do.

‘The First Dance’ by Bridezilla is out now through Inertia Recordings.

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