On the anthemic "Ready To Go," the first track on Republica's debut album, lead singer Saffron makes the following declaration: "I'm standing on the rooftop/Shout it out/Baby, I'm ready to go." And baby, she means it! Through eleven power-packed songs, Saffron ably struts her stuff, slyly shifting between coy boy toy and emancipated woman, all the while struttin' some major diva 'tude as if her life depended on it. And maybe it does. Quite frankly, if it weren't for her heavy-handed vocal delivery Republica would be just another British band striving for a sound that looks back in time as much as it looks ahead. But that voice. There ain't no denying its ferocity, its fearlessness, its fierceness.
Like Annabella Lwin, Exene Cervenka, Poly Styrene, Chrissie Hynde, and Debbie Harry before her, Saffron prefers not to tag along for the ride, but to really feel the edgy rhythms, the angst of scorching guitars, the beat of the drum. And like these punk princesses, the Nigerian-born Saffron relies on energetic band members to keep the in-your-face pace free from stagnation. Trying to keep up with her, and coming mighty close in the process, are keyboardists Tim Dorney and Andy Todd, guitarist Johnny Male, and drummer Dave Barborossa.
A quintet born of London's eclectic club scene, Republica revel in expansive soundscapes. That said, it should come as no surprise that incessant techno beats or hyped-up jungle break-beats get as worked over by scathing guitars as they are on "Bitch" and "Get Off." Or that punk trappings coolly co-opt poppier pleasures, like on "Ready To Go" and what better become the set's second single, "Don't You Ever." By not subscribing to any one singular sound sensation, the folks of Republica defiantly keep the listener guessing--which, in these times of genre-specific musicalities, is not a bad thing.
In addition to its more obvious punk references, one can't help but wonder if the band wasn't also influenced by the electronic dance beats of Giorgio Moroder (Blondie's "Call Me" and Donna Summer's "Sunset People"). Perhaps the influence came indirectly, via British acts like the Grid, Orbital, N-Joi, and Peter Lazonby--who have all been seduced by Moroder's ahead-of-their-time trance beats, transforming them into the fashionable club sounds of today (and tomorrow). Everything old is new again? You bet! But whatever the cross-reference, there is no denying Republica's verve for hitting that perfect, danceable beat.
--Michael Paoletta
They draw their noise riffs from the same 15-year-old Tantra songs that still inspire today's Eurodance, but maybe thanks to the utterly clueless, happy pout achieved by their female lead voice, they never sound boringly profound or archaically maudlin. Which means that though they won't mean much to Enigma fans or searchers after the next Crystal Waters, they'll rescue anyone who can't wait for Blondie to come back or for Boy George to stop acting the pompous fool.
-- Michael Freedberg