Melissa auf der Maur, despite her quiet nature and modesty, has become an iconic figure in '90s alternative rock. The musician made her first claim to fame as a bassist and backup vocalist for Hole after the death of their original bassist, Kristen Pfaff.
As a member of Hole, she played bass and sang vocals on their 1994 breakout album "Live Through This" and on their 1998 release "Celebrity Skin." In both instances, auf der Maur was pushed in front of the camera, and her passionate bass playing made her a favorite among Hole fans. In several of their music videos, she shared the spotlight with Courtney Love -- a difficult feat, given Love's erratic, eccentric behavior. In 1999, auf der Maur won the Gibson Award for best bassist.
In 2000, auf der Maur played bass for The Smashing Pumpkins' farewell tour. D'arcy Wretzy, the original bassist for the Pumpkins, quit midway through the sessions for their last album, "Machina: The Machines of God." However, unlike the constant rotation of session drummers that replaced the Pumpkins' drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who was fired in 1996, auf der Maur became a full-fledged and respected member of the band. She appeared in promos, performed in the Pumpkins' videos and talked with the press.
Billy Corgan, the lead singer of the Pumpkins, expressed his admiration for auf der Maur's bass skills, and he noted her ability to absorb the Pumpkins' gigantic catalogue of songs in such a short amount of time. The world tour for "Machina" thrust auf der Maur into an even brighter spotlight. She won the Gibson award for the second year in a row in 2000, and when the Pumpkins disbanded in 2001, many rock fans were left wondering what she would try next.
For the past 10 years, auf der Maur has performed in the shadows of famous egos, and the behavior of Courtney Love and Billy Corgan often has overshadowed their bands. Auf der Maur will break out of this niche May 18, when her first solo effort, the self-titled "Auf der Maur," is released in the United States. In the meantime, the first single, "Followed the Waves," has been released on the Internet, and it is available for download on her official site (www.aufdermaur.com).
Unfortunately, "Followed the Waves" does not live up to expectations. In the past, auf der Maur has received acclaim for her proficient, aggressive bass playing. However, "Followed the Waves" reduces her technical prowess to a fuzzy background thump. Any subtlety is lost in a sea of guitar overdubs, and the result is muddy, indistinct sound.
This is particularly disappointing because the track leads off with an interesting intro. "Followed the Waves" begins with Melissa screaming the chord hook of the song, and her voice then merges with the plucking of the lead guitar. The drums then slowly build in the background, and the guitarist riffs a note before building to a power chord.
It is at this point that that auf der Maur's weaknesses as an artist begin to show themselves. The power chord, while not grating, is not particularly catchy or adventurous either. Instead, it sounds like noise just for the sake of making a rock song. It produces no dramatic effect, and the song sticks with the same, distorted sound quality throughout its five-minute running time.
Auf der Maur's voice, while sufficient, also hurts the song. In the past, auf der Maur has been an excellent backup singer, and her soft croons complemented the harsher vocals of Courtney Love and Billy Corgan. On this album, however, it becomes clear that auf der Maur's voice was not meant to stand alone. She sings, "My heart lies/My heart lies to you/I've followed the waves to you" in a thin, flat tone, and a potentially touching line is stripped of its emotion. It is doubtful that auf der Maur's voice would hold up on a more stripped down, subtle song.
Ultimately, auf der Maur's first solo foray isn't bad, but it's nothing special either. The song simply sits there without attempting to engage the listener's emotions, and it ultimately sounds like formula rather than the triumphant debut of one of alternative rock's brightest stars. Hopefully, auf der Maur has saved more adventurous songs for her album. If not, then come May, she will have a difficult time establishing herself as something other than mainstream.
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