Magneta Lane — Gambling With God

This all-female Toronto trio's 2006 effort, Dancing With Daggers, was one of my favourite of that year. I've been looking forward to the follow-up ever since, and while the band have switched labels from Paper Bag to Last Gang, they haven't shown the growth I've been hoping for.

That's not to say that Gambling With God isn't enjoyable. If you liked Dancing With Daggers and the earlier The Constant Lover, you'll have no problem embracing this since it sounds pretty similar. They have a formula that works and I can't be too harsh on Magneta Lane for sticking to it.

"Lady Bones" has been part of the group's live set for a couple of years, and it gets Gambling With God off to a great start with its melodic and danceable alt.rock.

While singer/guitarist Lexi Valentine doesn't always sing in the classic pop sense, her somewhat deadpan delivery works well in the context of the band's pop noir sound. Bassist French holds things together well while drummer Nadia King stands out from producer and Uncut member Jon Drew's mix on "Bloody French" and "Queen Of Hearts."

Acoustic guitar adds a change of pace in "September Came" and there's a little more diversity in the title track, too. "Violet's Constellations" has a more expansive sound akin to Nicole Atkins (for whom I saw Magneta Lane open last year) minus the '60s orchestral pop flourishes, while "Love And Greed" finds Magneta Lane in a place not too far from their new labelmates, Metric.

"Fuck this, I'm not going anywhere," Valentine sings in the album-closing "Queen Of Hearts." It's a line that, for my purposes, works two ways. Not going anywhere could either mean not progressing or that they're sticking to their guns and are in it for the long haul. While I hope it's the latter, Gambling With God holds a little bit too much to the former.

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