Letters to Cleo‘s first full-length CD leaves you distracted. A little confused. And yet, it remains comfortable, accessible. Hanley’s vocals travel from innocent, child-like tenderness to raw rage and back again without missing a beat. And then there’s the hard-hitting, rapid-fire delivery of “Here and Now” and “I See.”
Somehow, the ten songs on Aurora Gory Alice flow through the ever-changing vocal elements as well as variations between serious funk, folk, a poppy dance groove, psychedelia, Nirvanaesque distortion, and even a sort of twangy hoedown thang. And lately, they’ve mixed in a heavier, border-line metal sound, which is on display most notably in the song “Rim Shak.” Through it all – all the style changes, all the overlapping – LTC maintains a rare sort of anti-commercial grace. “It’s the mix of the band,” Eisenstein has said. “There is not a preconceived sound; it’s different.”
It’s this distinct sound that transcends categorization by incorporating so many different styles at once that has made LTC such a popular live act over the past year or so. It’s this and Hanley’s supremely confident stage presence, which, once again, is rife with juxtaposition. She romps around stages with a nonchalant air that suggests she’s not quite sure just how she got there, and meanwhile, delivers the most honest and heartfelt lyrics in a voice technically superior to most in Boston. In addition, the appealing contradictory nature of LTC isn’t hurt by the fact that a petite, and yet immensely powerful woman, is fronting an otherwise all male band. From: https://lollipopmagazine.com/1993/12/letters-to-cleo-aurora-gory-alice-review/
