Get Disowned

Audio Mixer: Joe Reinhart.
A jagged course of punky indie rock, Get Disowned is the fiery debut of Philadelphia four-piece Hop Along. Metamorphosing from the lo-fi, indie folk solo project of songwriter/vocalist Frances Quinlan called Hop Along, Queen Ansleis, the band -- which includes Quinlan's brother Mark on drums -- ups the intensity to better reinforce the singer's jaw-dropping vocal grit. It's a voice that recalls Janis Joplin in pliability -- and that might even be an understatement. From a whisper to a scream and everything in between, Quinlan delivers sometimes confessional, sometimes artfully quirky, often awkward lyrics with her wails ("Honey, I left to see some action/What's with all this swamp?/All I'm passing are hospitals and space camps"). "Tibetan Pop Stars," which adds jangly and grungy guitars and start-and-stop rhythms to these lyrics, later admits "My love is average/I obey an average law." Her voice isn't all that distinct from the guitar feedback at times in "No Good Al Joad" ("You're my favorite because you're a long shot"), while "Trouble Found Me" stays in the low, wispy realm of her range ("Once, I thought being lost was only a part of being young"). Elsewhere, "Sally II" surprises with a midrange shot of rambling country-rock. There's nothing balanced or easy about Get Disowned; it's a moving yet imposing beast of a record. However, for those prone to acknowledging and maybe sometimes dwelling on the raw and clumsy aspects of life, the album is relatable, cathartic, and beautifully messy. ~ Marcy Donelson