ACTIONMAN MAGAZINE
by DJ Hostility
Milwaukee's Crime & Judy recorded Vendetta Chants live with no overdubs in front of a live studio audience at the Mirimar Theatre in Brew City. This no-nonsense, bare-bones approach to the recording process is indicative of their overall approach to the band dynamic - no schtick, no gimmicks, no fancy outfits (well, ok, bassist Keith Brammer's tuxedo shirt is pretty fetching), and no BS. Just solid, technically proficient songs reminiscent of mid-90's Dischord Records. I tend to think specifically of Smart Went Crazy when I listen to Crime & Judy - both bands enjoy odd time signatures and have an orchestral instrumentation (SWC had a cellist, C&J have a violinist). The main difference between the two is the twin-vocalist attack of singers India Lathon and Angelique Rosario. The duo belts out passionate lyrics with the conviction of a Baptist minister, only not old, male, or arch-conservative.
The vocals have often been pointed out as the weak link of Crime & Judy's music. They belt out every lyric, every line at full blast, with lots of stretched out, wavering, whole-note syllables. And they don't depart from that formula very much, which has been pointed out by some as a detriment to the band. But if that's the case, then I can't figure out why the heck their songs stay in my head for days after the last time I spun the disc. Maybe it has somethng to do with their infectious rhythm section. Brammer and drummer Dan Hanke are easily the core of Crime & Judy's music - they anchor the rest of the band and steer them through Dischord-style time changes and builds that Jawbox would be proud of and during which lesser bands would fall apart.
In any case, the only thing that bothers me about the vocals on Vendetta Chants is their level in the mix - they're up far too high. But the mix of the different instruments in the C&J lineup have always suffered a bit from uneven mixing, and that shortcoming unfortunately creeps its way into the EP, particularly on guitar. When the guitar is playing a distinctive lead line, it can be made out amongst the violin and bass, but when it serves to add layers of rhythm guitar to the song, it's almost indistinctive underneath the other instruments, giving the songs a too-sparse feel.
Still, despite the few weaknesses of the release, this is still an incredibly solid debut for a sextet of tremendously talented musicians. The fire and passion evident in these songs makes the driving buildup in the verses of "Lose Your Allusion" almost transcendent. Crime & Judy are well on their way to being one of Milwaukee's best and most interesting bands, and the rest of the city had better pay attention.
CHICAGO READER
Spot Check 8-12-04
This Milwaukee sextet's lineup includes three female singers, one of who doubles on violin, and its new five-song EP, Vendetta Chants (Latest Flame), was recorded live last year in a 90-year-old movie theater that's been repurposed as a studio and rental venue. The music's jagged, trippy, jittery feel triggers all manner of late-80's and early-90's flashbacks (think Husker Du with chicks or Seven Year Bitch with fiddle), but despite the inevitable Sleater-Kinney comparisons occasioned by the powerfully buoyant double and triple vocal leads, what I'm hearing most of here is the orgasmic malice of early Siouxsie & the Banshees-- particularly on the closer, "Lose Your Allusion." - Monica Kendrick
SHEPHERD EXPRESS
10-28-04
Crime & Judy - Flu-Inspired Frenzy
As Bush and Kerry continue to argue about flu vaccines, musicians are falling victim to the illness's effects. Drummer Dan Hanke of Milwaukee's Crime & Judy, for example, was struck by the contagious disease and still managed to play through the six-piece's set at the Cactus Club for last Friday's showcase for Latest Flame Records.
Following labelmate the Gunshy, vocalists Angelique Rosario and India Lathon sang their hearts out onstage but struggled to be heard over the guitar of Willy Dintenfass, violinist Cathy Kolb, and Keith Brammer on bass. The result made the lyrics to the brand new songs they were presenting inaudible and cause Rosario and Lathon's voices to sound shrill at best. It sounds like the new album will continue to be as risky and audacious as last year's EP Vendetta Chants, but this performance, the group's second since putting together their upcoming full-length album, failed on giving old fans and new converts a way to properly gauge their latest material.
Chris Otepka, guitarist/vocalist of Troubled Hubble, indicated to the audience that he also had a case of the flu, but the Chicago-area geek pop rockers still managed to inspire the audience into fits of dancing frenzy with songs about "jamming your fingers into your eyes and going blind for three weeks" ("I'm Pretty Sure I Can See Miolecules") off their new EP A Happy Day Went Off The Cliff. As the band frantically tried to beat the 1 A.M. curfew the Cactus Club imposes on performers, an artist furiously whirled a paintbrush, painting a self-portrait on canvas. This exciting fusion of art and music shows why more musicians should follow the president's advice and not get a flu shot. - Jason Keil
CITY
Rochester, NY, Aug 20-26, 2003
I'm sure there's a framework beneath Crime & Judy's music. Some folks may not hear it right away as the Milwaukee band hurls the listener into meandering, dissonant dalliances and discord. The band is quite intiguing, however, if not for that fact alone. There's just enough complexity on their CD, Vendetta Chants, to make prediction futile, enjoyment a must. You don't anticipate each and every note or musical event. It blindsides you. It draws you in deeper. Their use of guitar, bass, drums, violin, and keyboards are all standard. It's with their vocalists that they veer off; Crime & Judy has three of 'em. - Frank De Blase
VILLAGE VOICE
8/27/03
Thoughtfully difficult-to-pigeonhole indie-rock sextet from Milwaukee that's neither timid nor gratuitously extroverted, starring a former Die Kreuzen bassist. Also a violinist, and three female singers with Rough Trade proclivities. - Chuck Eddy
AMPLIFIER MAGAZINE
JAN/FEB 2004
The first track on Vendetta Chants immediately brings to mind vintage Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney. But wait - violins? What's going on here? Three female vocalists? This is certainly not your typical chick-punk band. The call-and-response vocals employed so ingeniously by Sleater-Kinney are present, but allowed to broaden and mature, as well as explore more technically difficult harmonies and vocal lines. Time signatures mutate and reinvent themselves, the guitars burble and the violins soar. Vendetta Chants was recorded live in front of an audience in the band's hometown for Milwaukee, and if Angelique Rosario, Cathy Kolb, and India Lathon can sound this solid without any overdubs or second takes, then one marvels at what they could achieve in the studio. - Emily Burnham