Rockin' Our Turntable / Bookshelf: Juliana Hatfield
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 1, 2008 6:26PM
Juliana Hatfield's recently released tour diary / autobiography of sorts When I Grow Up: A Memoir touched on a number of subjects that had been plaguing her for over two decades from a dislike of touring, an eating disorder, clinical depression, and the like. At the same time it revealed a true admiration for her collaborators and musical heroes over the years, and projected an admirably resolute sense of resolve when it comes to the business side of her art and her ability to meet its commitments mostly on her own terms. We also learned that while most venues don't exactly roll out the welcome mat when she arrives, Chicago's Double Door does a good job of making her feel particularly welcome, and that Chicago is home to some of her most enthusiastic and appreciative fans. She ended the book with a warning not to hold great expectations for any touring beyond a smattering of shows here and there from here on out. Luckily for us she doesn't seem completely beholden to that promise since she'll drop by Double Door tomorrow to promote her new album, How To Walk Away.
Hatfield was one off the first indie rock chanteuses to mix deeply confessional lyricism with scruffy pop hooks in a way that felt genuine and not overly polished. Her distinctive vocal delivery remains a constant over her entire discography, but she has displayed a respectable willingness to take musical chances and tinker with what could commonly be viewed as her most successful formulas. We personally find her louder guitar albums -- like the super aggressive Juliana's Pony: Total System Failure -- to be more interesting affairs since they tend to subvert most casual fans expectations. At the same time there's a healthy argument in favor of Hatfield's lighter musical touches on How To Walk Away. By delivering a batch of mid-tempo sunny sounding rockers filtered through her darker lyrics Hatfield manages to burnish her sound without creating a cloyingly sentimental album. There is little on this album to find fault with.
In fact Hatfield's biggest problem seems to be that she just keeps releasing solid albums and it's almost like people have just come to take her for granted. Is this because she's lost step with the times or is it because the right people just aren't being exposed to her music anymore? Or is it because most younger listeners have heard so many female singers influenced my Hatfield they no longer recognize the grace of their heroines' source material?
Juliana Hatfield plays with The Everyday Visuals and Elizabeth Elmore tomorrow, December 2, at Double Door, 1572 N Milwaukee, 9 p.m., $15, 21+