Mary Weaver by Coke Weed

On Coke Weed's "Mary Weaver", the New England-based quintet's fourth LP, the band's longstanding love for the glam/art-rock axis, class of West Berlin, comes to the fore. The result is a panorama that encompasses Bolan's boogie, the kraut/R&B hybrids of Bowie's "Station to Station", and the desperate romanticism of Roxy Music and Iggy Pop.

As Coke Weed continues to refine its trademark hard-edged choogle, "Mary Weaver" brings a new emphasis on grimy dance work-outs. On songs like "The Chill" and "Dead Man Walking", the band takes aim at a deserted club-land haunted by echoes of ESG, CAN and the Chic Organization.

These new textures illuminate the lyrical themes of romantic and chemical alienation that run through the album. Lead singer Nina D. gives her most controlled and enigmatic performance to date. Drawing deeply from her sunbaked Florida-goth roots, Nina's voice glides sweetly as she delivers a terrifying treatise on the cost of love. The darkness of the subject matter is offset by the Weed's color show of interweaving guitar expressionism, which rides a crest of the band's toughest grooves to date.