The Vault: Josie & The Pussycats Sharpen Their Claws

noah | April 16, 2007 4:56 am
josie.jpg

A post on donewaiting.com puts forth the theory that Avril Lavigne’s hypercolored new album, The Best Damn Thing, is actually the younger, shriekier cousin of the 2003 soundtrack for Josie and the Pussycats–and after we gave Josie a second listen, we realized that the guy may be right. For those of you who don’t follow the musical side projects of Tara Reid vehicles, a primer: The Josie soundtrack is a sleek slice of guitar-edged pop that had Matthew Sweet, Babyface, Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger, and Letters to Cleo singer Kay Hanley on board, and it tried to “update” the fictional band’s Motownish leanings of the past with a growly-girl makeover. Its standout track is probably the breakup growler “Shapeshifter”–and, like the first single off The Best Damn Thing, it uses the word “whatever” as a weapon:

Josie & The Pussycats – Shapeshifter [MP3, link expired] Avril and the Pussycats? [donewaiting.com]