** Famous Monsters

IN THE NIGHT!!!

(Bongload)

Like just about everything else in the '90s, late-model monster chic is all about appropriation, whether it's the Party of Five set copping 'sploitation splatter scripts or White Zombie keeping it hyper-real on a diet of '60s horror collectibles, comic books, and creature double-feature matinees. What set the Zombies apart in the first place was that they knew exactly who to steal from -- they had an intrinsic feel for what monster rock oughta look like, and if Rob Zombie wasn't about to give up the death-disco routine just because the band called it quits, his Zombie-A-Go-Go label at least acknowledged that back in the day, before heavy metal made the mistake of taking the whole thing seriously, monsters and cemeteries were really a garage-rock thing.

Former White Zombie bass player Sean Yseult concurs on this, the first disc from her cartoon gals-in-the-garage trio, where the ladies lend brand-name appeal to the kind of goofy no-fi trash that's been done a hell of a lot better by the Trashwomen, the Bobbyteens, and the 5-6-7-8's. Yeah, they're dressed like a Satan, a Godzilla, and a vampire, and the name's shoplifted from the horror fan's bible, but the self-conscious novelty wears itself thin by being just a shade too obvious. Nice girls like to steal. Big deal.

-- Carly Carioli