AMG Review of Eight Arms to Hold You

Roch Parisien
All Music Guide

Picture Joan Jett at her altruistic peak creating sparks in the studio by chomping at the bit proffered by a calculating -- but astute and sympathetic -- Svengali, and you have a fair grasp of Eight Arms to Hold You. In fact, ferocious lead single "Volcano Girls" holds its own in the classic, dumb-ass, slashing hard rock singles sweepstakes with Jett's own "I Love Rock'n'Roll." This destructive blast only clears the terrain for some of the album's more tuneful missiles like the Bangles-ish "Awesome," the pseudo-orchestrated "Benjamin" (has it become impossible to make a rock album without cello, real or synthesized?), and the hook-festooned "The Morning Sad." Throughout, the dual-tracked siren calls of Kim Gordon and Louise Post ensnare just long enough for the group's rock-amplified guitars-bass-drums to smash you stupid.