| A Raw Youth | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 18, 2015 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Genre | Punk rock, indie rock | |||
| Length | 41:18 | |||
| Label | Rodriguez Lopez Productions, Ipecac [1] | |||
| Producer | Omar Rodríguez-López | |||
| Le Butcherettes chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from A Raw Youth | ||||
| ||||
A Raw Youth is the third album by Mexican band Le Butcherettes, released on September 18, 2015 via Ipecac Recordings [2]
The album examines themes of personal and social oppression. [3]
"Shave the Pride" originated as a diatribe against Gender Bender's bearded lover hiding behind "masses of hair". After rewrites, the song's "outrage and frustration" became directed against society's "unwillingess to view all perceptions of [a] story... hiding behind the mass media." [4]
"La Uva” uses a symbol of a grape to represent "a fragile being that can be stepped on. But, the ink from its body stains and is seen by other people." [3] It was originally recorded by Bosnian Rainbows, but remained unreleased. The studio version by Le Butcherettes samples the Bosnian Rainbows version. [5]
"Sold Less Than Gold" was partially inspired by Gender Bender's trip to Iran. According to her, "the song was written with women from the Middle East in mind - women that were being sold from their family to strangers. Being raped and mutilated." [3] It's about "women (...) sold into marriages or into sex slavery and how resilient their spirits are.” [6]
"The Hitch Hiker" plays out a call-and-response between a hitchhiker and the man who picks her up. The situation escalates into kidnapping and murder. [6]
"My Half" deals with "finding closure with the loss of an unjust death." [7]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100 [8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Consequence of Sound | B− [6] |
A Raw Youth received generally favorable reviews. [8]
Consequence of Sound's Karen Gwee wrote that the album "marks Le Butcherettes’ triumphant entrance to the mainstream rock arena, accomplished with no compromise to their identity." [6]
All music and lyrics written by Teri Gender Bender.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shave the Pride" | 2:37 |
| 2. | "My Mallely" | 3:37 |
| 3. | "Reason to Die Young" | 3:41 |
| 4. | "La Uva" (feat. Iggy Pop) | 3:34 |
| 5. | "Sold Less Than Gold" | 2:01 |
| 6. | "Stab My Back" | 4:09 |
| 7. | "They Fuck You Over" | 2:19 |
| 8. | "Witchless C Spot" | 3:58 |
| 9. | "The Hitch Hiker" | 2:48 |
| 10. | "Lonely & Drunk" | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Oil the Shoe If the Critter Knew Any Better" | 4:11 |
| 12. | "My Half" (feat. John Frusciante) | 4:39 |
| Total length: | 41:18 | |
Le Butcherettes [10]
Additional musicians [10]
Production [10]
John Anthony Frusciante is an American musician and the guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He has released 11 solo albums and 7 EPs, ranging in style from acoustic guitar to electronic music. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012. Rolling Stone named Frusciante among the greatest guitarists of all time.
Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López is a Puerto Rican guitarist and songwriter. He has formed or played in several bands, including The Mars Volta, At the Drive-In, Antemasque, and Bosnian Rainbows. He was the bassist for the dub band De Facto. He has embarked on a solo career, both in studio and in concert, frequently described as experimental, avant-garde, or progressive. He has also collaborated with numerous artists, such as Damo Suzuki, John Frusciante, El-P, Mon Laferte and Calle 13.
Trevor Roy Dunn is an American composer, bass guitarist, and double bassist. He came to prominence in the 1990s with the experimental band Mr. Bungle. While performing with Mr. Bungle, Dunn would dress similar to the St. Pauli Girl. He has since worked in an array of musical styles, including with saxophonist/composer John Zorn, Secret Chiefs 3 and with his own avant-garde jazz/rock ensemble Trevor Dunn's Trio-Convulsant. He is also a member of the band Tomahawk.
A Sphere in the Heart of Silence is a collaborative studio album by John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer, released on November 23, 2004 on Record Collection. The fifth in a series of six releases Frusciante issued, from June 2004 to February 2005, the album is composed mainly of electronica-based material.
Deantoni Parks is an American new-wave/avant-garde/experimental musician. He is the co-founder, co-producer and drummer of the New York band KUDU along with artist Sylvia Black, and one half of the TV/Film scoring duo We Are Dark Angels alongside Nicci Kasper, also a member of KUDU. Parks was a member of progressive rock band the Mars Volta and a member of the alternative rock act Bosnian Rainbows. Parks is a composer and performer on the André 3000 “New Blue Sun.”
The Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group is an American experimental rock band, and the main side project of Omar Rodríguez-López. Featuring an ever-changing lineup of musicians alongside Rodriguez-Lopez, the group is most often a live entity to perform the various outlets of his solo music aside from the Mars Volta. After the dissolution of the Mars Volta in 2012, Omar completed a few more solo records until 2013 before deciding to pursue only collaborative efforts with groups At the Drive-In, Bosnian Rainbows, Antemasque, and Crystal Fairy.
Josh Adam Klinghoffer is an American musician best known for being the guitarist for the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019, with whom he recorded two studio albums, I'm with You (2011) and The Getaway (2016), and the B-sides compilation I'm Beside You (2013). Klinghoffer took the place of his friend and frequent collaborator John Frusciante in 2009, after a period as a touring member. At age 32, Klinghoffer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2012, making him the youngest inductee at the time.
Le Butcherettes was a Mexican garage punk band formed in 2007 in Guadalajara by Teri Gender Bender.
Omar Rodríguez-López is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, actor and director, who is best known for his roles as band leader of The Mars Volta and guitarist for At the Drive-In. He is also the former bassist of the dub outfit De Facto, punk band Le Butcherettes, and finally, an active member of Bosnian Rainbows, Antemasque, and Crystal Fairy (band). Omar has released an eclectic catalogue of music as a solo musician and has collaborated with a diverse range of artists and bands, such as El-P, Faust, John Frusciante, Lydia Lunch, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Damo Suzuki.
Swahili Blonde is an experimental musical project formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009. Founded by former WEAVE! drummer and vocalist Nicole Turley, violinist and bassist Laena Myers-Ionita, Duran Duran bassist John Taylor and multi-instrumentalists Stella Mozgawa and Michael Quinn. Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist and Turley's now ex-husband, John Frusciante, performs guitar on the band's recordings, and did perform alongside the group at their debut performance, while he was briefly a full-time band member.
Bosnian Rainbows was an American rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2012. The band consists of former the Mars Volta members Omar Rodríguez-López and Deantoni Parks, alongside Le Butcherettes vocalist Teri Gender Bender and Nicci Kasper of KUDU and We Are Dark Angels (keyboards).
Teresa Suárez Cosío, commonly known by her stage name Teri Gender Bender, is an American singer and musician, known primarily as the founding member, lead singer, and guitarist of Guadalajara-based rock band Le Butcherettes since 2007. With Omar Rodríguez-López, she is a member of Bosnian Rainbows, Crystal Fairy and Kimono Kult. Her performance persona and artistry have been compared to Björk, Siouxsie Sioux, Karen O, and the first artistic stage of Gloria Trevi.
Bosnian Rainbows is the only studio album by American alternative rock band Bosnian Rainbows, released on June 24, 2013 on Clouds Hill, Sargent House and Rodriguez-Lopez Productions. Recorded and produced by Johann Scheerer, the album was recorded at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg, Germany in October 2012, during a break in band's touring schedule.
Basses Loaded is the 21st album by American rock band Melvins, released on June 3, 2016, through Ipecac Recordings. It features earlier members, but not all of them, that has been a part of the Melvins over the previous decade, centered around the many bass guitar players to have passed through the band. Steven Shane McDonald of Redd Kross makes his debut with the Melvins, while Nirvana co-founder Krist Novoselic makes a guest appearance.
Infinity Drips is the thirty-fourth studio album by Omar Rodríguez-López as a solo artist, released on 21 October 2016. It is his eighth release in the 12 album series initiated by Ipecac Recordings.
Some Need It Lonely is the thirty-eighth studio album by Omar Rodríguez-López as a solo artist, released on 16 December 2016. It is his twelfth and last release in the 12 album series initiated by Ipecac Recordings, although before its release the label confirmed an additional 12 records forthcoming set to continue the fortnightly release schedule.
Crystal Fairy was an American rock supergroup from Los Angeles / El Paso, formed in 2016. The band consisted of Melvins' Buzz Osborne (guitar) and Dale Crover (drums), alongside Le Butcherettes' Teri Gender Bender (vocals) and Omar Rodríguez-López (bass) of At the Drive-In / The Mars Volta / Antemasque fame.
Crystal Fairy is the eponymous debut album by the rock supergroup Crystal Fairy, released on February 24, 2017 via Ipecac Recordings.
A Walk with Love & Death is a double album and the 22nd album by American rock band Melvins, released on July 7, 2017, through Ipecac Recordings. It includes two distinct albums: Love, a fourteen-song soundtrack to a short film by Jesse Nieminen, also known as A Walk with Love & Death, and Death, made up of nine standard songs. This is the first full-length Melvins album to feature bassist Steven McDonald, who only appeared on four of the songs on their previous album, Basses Loaded. Guest musicians include Joey Santiago (Pixies), Anna Waronker and Teri Gender Bender.
Bi/Mental is the fourth studio album by Mexican-American band Le Butcherettes, and is the band's label debut for Rise Records. The album's lyrics address personal themes, such as mental illness, and is strongly inspired by the band's family and domestic circumstances, particularly that of frontwoman Teri Gender Bender. The album was released upwards of three years and four months after its predecessor A Raw Youth, marking the band's longest gap between the release of full-length albums.
