7 Inch Single Collection: Lunachicks - Cookie Monster

Loud, shouty and very silly...

LUNACHICKS

A-side: Cookie Monster
B-Side: Complication

(Blast First 1990)

There were many all female grunge bands around in the early 90's. Many were politically motivated pushing feminist agendas, and rallying against sexism, others were proving their point, not with political diatribes, but just by simply rocking out as well as any all bloke band could. Lunachicks probably don't fit too well into the first category, and an argument could well be made for the second one, but on the limited evidence that I have I would say that their main agenda was to have fun.

Cookie Monster from Sesame Street is a character I feel a certain affinity with, a love of particular baked goods being just one shared attribute. It seemed, then, almost inevitable that I would buy this single - which was cemented into certainty by the fact that the above sleeve is actually a wrap-around fold-out poster, which I'm afraid that I'm unable to replicate in it's full glory here. (i.e. it's too big for my scanner, and I'm sure that it's family appropriate!). However to give you an impression I've included back of the sleeve showing the band. 

Cookie Monster is a nursery counting song liberally coated in grunge trappings. The vocals are growling, the instruments are fast and noisy. There are actual Cookie Monster impersonations as backing vocals. Part way through is slows right down to a grindcore style, before speeding up again to breakneck speed, coming to a sudden stop. It's not big, it's not clever, but it is very silly, and for that I love it.

To be honest the b-side is more of the same - you didn't expect it to be anything else did you? It's similarly noisy stop/start hardcore, but without the Cookie Monster hook. The title - Complication - is the only lyric that is intelligible. It's got a a good driving sound, and is good for what it is, but I have no desire to listen to it again. Can't really say much more than that.

An enjoyable record overall, that I probably won't listen to very often, but nonetheless I think it's important that records like this do exist, and there is a place for silliness.

Next time something a little geekish...