Noun

Holy Hell (Don Giovanni)

By Dana Raidt
Published: July 12th, 2010 | 1:00pm

The shift from rock band member to solo act is a tricky one, especially if you’ve gained a reputation like Marissa Paternoster’s. As one third of Screaming Females, she is the guitar virtuoso (and some would argue namesake) behind New Jersey’s finest recent musical export.

Noun’s songs are more stripped down than Screaming Females’, but by no means does that make Holy Hell a watered-down version of Paternoster’s band, nor are the songs any less developed. Noun existed before Paternoster joined Screaming Females, as she reportedly recorded about 40 songs on her own in high school. Screaming Females leans heavily on Paternoster’s frenzied vocals and guitar playing, and while Holy Hell plays them up, they are supported by more mature, intimate songwriting.

“Black Lamb,” a creepy piano ballad, starts the album on a dramatic and completely unexpected note before leading into the more familiar-sounding “Outerspace.” The album swings back and forth between these two extremes, and for the most part the more successful and dynamic moments (“Wrong Things” and “Call Earth,” which could have been an outtake from Exile in Guyville) follow the example of “Black Lamb.” Paternoster really proves her talent when she combines the two, as on the title track, which features an epic display of her vocal range and remarkable guitar playing packed into two fierce minutes. A few of Holy Hell’s songs do sound like Screaming Females cast-offs, but for the most part, it will be a nice surprise for those who are already fans. And for the uninitiated, it will be a good introduction to a talent they’ll no doubt hear a lot about in the future.

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Noun MySpace page

Don Giovanni Records