Real Janelle

AMG Review of Real Janelle

Stewart Mason
All Music Guide

Bratmobile's second 12", and their last release for close to six years, 1994's The Real Janelle is a big step up from the chaotic Pottymouth, both in musical skill and clarity of thought. The songs are more pointed -- "Brat Girl" is a violent screed holding up the infamous suburban high school serial rapists "the Spur Posse" as the ultimate result of the kind of emotional abuse touched on in "And I Live in a Town Where the Boys Amputate Their Hearts" -- and also more subtle. The low-key, quietly tense "Yeah, Huh?" is almost downright pretty in comparison to a full-force punk-rocker like "Die," but even the latter song is more controlled and direct than Bratmobile's earliest releases. The highlight, however, is the title track, the catchiest song of Bratmobile's career, and a scrappy punk-pop D.I.Y. classic.