Lola – Lilith Czar

I’ve been eagerly awaiting developments regarding the release of Created From Filth And Dust since debut single King slapped me across my chops a couple of months back. A goth queen Black Swan moment for the artist formerly known as Juliet Simms

“I grew up on the Spiders From Mars a Queen Bitch kissing the sky”

I enthused that slaying Marilyn Manson only to replace him with a Kingly Woman seemed like a good idea. I also pointed out how goth power pop industrial tinged rock was pure theatre. I didn’t anticipate the second single would be a Coyote Ugly style Americana soft rock ballad. Is this an own goal on Czar’s reinvention? I was expecting Reznor drums and video clips that use that backwards motion thing to make waving your arms about look scary. I was expecting singed guitar fuzz and lyrics from the dark side. I got a heightened version of the sort of music she used to make back when she was Juliet.

What she is singing about is getting burned out on rock and roll liferdom. Growing up with Bowie. Being out in the road. Losing yourself in cities and strangers. There’s a yearning to head back though. To simpler safer friendlier familiarity. If CFF&D turns out to be a concept album this is either an inciting incident in a character arc or a denouement before a big ending. If it’s just a collection of power pop dressed up in Siouxie Sioux’s shadow then the promise of King was a real diversionary tactic.

“Hey Lola take me back home, there’s only rock and roll Love back where I’m from, before the highs and lows got out of control, where did you go?”

Lilith has kept the Satanic High Priestess aesthetic. For most of the video but it appears to be a mix of before and after. Is she saying goodbye to her former self? Is Lola a cypher for what went before?

With all that said…

It’s a pretty fucking great main stream rock song. The last tune had me expecting curveballs, but pretending to be Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born is not the flex I was prepared for. Mind you I did love Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born. So there is a place for slapping on the make up and the frills and cavorting about with daggers and skulls like you’re Alice Cooper. His music was often pop, MOR or even balladeering dressed up as something more than Phantom Of The Opera.

So I like Lilith Czar. I like what she’s reaching for. We could use a new Meatloaf in this town. There’s a risk here that this could just be chick-flick movie end credit rock playing in the dressing up box. On the strength of the performance and the songwriting though I’m going to go with it. I hope there’s more scary stuff on the record based on the preview clips with their Prince Of Darkness takes Elvira clubbing squealing and demonic VO I’d wager there is. All rock records are allowed a ballad. This ones a beauty.

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