Bitch and Animal (a duo: one being Bitch, the other, Animal) opened for Ani DiFranco two years ago. Since then, their following has not only become significant in size, but also in dedication. This gender-bending duo simplistically melds drum with bass and uses entertaining observations about serious topics, yet they never lose their sense of humor, especially on stage. Their songs represent the spoken word that a large number of girls grew up with, which always brilliantly revealed itself at weekly riot grrrl meetings, and even sometimes made it to stage. Still, these witty phrases, understood by many, although often fuzzier with each passing day, had never been recorded.
Bitch and Animal, have all of the aspects of that spoken word that reach out to so many with what it has always lacked: a record. Their debut album, What’s That Smell?, was a big hit with their dedicated following, but it did not include certain favorites. Hence the excitement when Eternally Hard was released.
Eternally Hard is worth checking out, even if only for a few choice tracks. “Best Cock on the Block” is a parody on all those penis songs on the radio and explains the trials of “a little girl boy” and the women she lures into her world with her collection of dildos. “It’s two in the morning / my beeper’s going off / I’m naked I roll over / enough is enough … my dick its like chick bait / one bait and they’re hooked.” A song such as this could potentially suck. However, Bitch and Animal match the music they are trying to imitate with such sparkingly witty lyrics that this song, in its utter irony, has become the star of both the album and their live shows.
“Six States Away,” a song Bitch prefaces with, “this is where my bitch side comes out,” uses the trite themes of love and loss. But by articulately conveying fear and anger amidst all the lovey-dovey hooplah, it gives the listener something that most pop tunes won’t even touch?honesty. Another track, typical of the kind of in-your-face irony that makes this album so unique, is “Boy Girl Wonder,” sung by Animal. It’s the kind of music you’d dance to at a high school prom but with lyrics like, “why is it so lonely/ in between a boy and a girl.” This album shows with each of its songs how Bitch and Animal have found the perfect balance between radical politics and music with humor.
On one hand, Eternally Hard seems to demand praise simply by including more songs sung by Animal. The two are a great duo and no show ever seems dominated by one over the other. But one significant criticism of What’s That Smell? is that it differs from that balanced concert style and mainly showcases songs by Bitch, so it’s exciting to see Animal branching out and using her voice.
Still, to be sure, Bitch and Animal are a band that must be seen live. The album, even with Ani DiFranco adding guitar riffs and back-up, is not as good as their live performances, and for some reason, Eternally Hard translates worse to album than What’s That Smell? did. Eternally Hard has more all-out favorites, but overall, What’s That Smell? is a stronger album. Many of the songs on Eternally Hard seem to be based on improvisation that never should have been pursued further. The song “Ganga,” set to the melody of “Angels We Have Heard on High,” though entertaining at a live show, does not deserve to be mastered digitally.
Nonetheless, if you do decide that Bitch and Animal’s unique style and sound are worth having on disc, don’t hold back?it’s worth the money. If you can’t find it at your local record store, order it online through Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records.
