Upset

Has Frankie Rose started a mini-migration? The former Vivian Girls/Crystal Antlers beat-keeper is one of the few drummers to make a successful transition from behind the kit to frontwoman. Now we have Upset, the new project from Ali Koehler. After being unceremoniously dumped from Best Coast — a process that included a very public Twitter spat — she has re-emerged with none other than former Hole drummer Patty Schemel behind the kit. Like her previous gigs (Koehler also did time in Vivian Girls). Upset mix Girls in the Garage harmonies and riffs with a dash of Ramones (parts of "Queen Frosteen" sound like a sing-over of Da Bruddas' "The KKK Took My Baby Away") and early '90s Massachusetts alt-rock — think Blake's Babies, Lemonheads and the Breeders. It's not the most original of combinations, and Koehler certainly has a ways to go in developing her voice as a lyricist. Most songs fall into well-worn territory about young love and teenage politics, while there's sameness to too many of the songs. But when it works, and it often does, their charms are undeniable. If this isn't a one-off meeting of beat-keepers and Koehler is serious about forging a career as a frontwoman, then Upset have a very promising career ahead of them.