AMG Review of Burdens of Being Upright

Tom Demalon
All Music Guide

Classically trained violinist Tracy Bonham emerged from Boston with her first major-label release, The Burdens of Being Upright. The album yielded a significant radio hit with the seething message "Mother Mother," which leads off the album. It raises the bar for the rest of the record and, although she doesn't quite match it, The Burdens of Being Upright is a riveting introduction. Bonham and bandmates tear through tracks like "Navy Bean" and "Bulldog" with energetic punk abandon. Bonham's lyrics are intelligent and her voice is powerful, sounding eerily like Liz Phair on songs like "Kisses," "Sharks Can't Sleep," and "Every Breath."