Summer of the Whore, by Shannon McArdle
Free Track:
"Poison My Cup"
Label: Bar-None Records
Release Date: August 19th, 2008
When Shannon McArdle wrote Summer of the Whore last year, she muses “my emotions were completely exposed. I had no interest in veiling them in any way. Subtlety was not something that appealed to me at the time.” Thank god, because Summer of the Whore, written in the throes of divorce with former Mendoza Line band mate Timothy Bracy, allows all of us to partake in a beautifully written piece of schadenfreude.
McArdle's lyrics are confident, with traces of the humor she displayed in the Mendoza Line. Trying on the role of spurned lover for size, her meditations on relationships are both sardonic, yet sincere. (Think a mix of Leonard Cohen and PJ Harvey.) Don't be swayed by the innocuous production on McArdle's music and her baby girl voice; she's more than willing to drop an F-bomb where it serves.
For every innocent nerve ending, like in songs like "The Longing," where McArdle coyly shares,
I sit by the phone like a 13 year old convinced that you've already called, there's an even rawer nerve to be found. Make no mistake, this is a woman's album, and McArdle doesn't back down from innuendo or outright declaration.
The attitude is non-apologetic, with an honesty which will resonate with anyone taking who has stood on that post break-up precipice, or enjoys confessional lyrics. For those easily miffed by sexuality, McArdle summarizes best herself in her title track with,
a little filth on my record is such a little price to pay. But this offer is over once I've settled up the score. If I were you, I'd get in on the Summer of the Whore.