Taraneh - New Age Prayer
More-so than eventual-husband Kurt Cobain’s Nirvana, Courtney Love’s Hole was a band as emblematic of the zeitgeist as they were indebted to it. Debut release Pretty on the Inside came out in 1991 and saw a band liberally drawing from a burgeoning interest in punk’s depravity. It was spitting and violent, a sneering feminist tirade tangential to riot grrl compatriots Bikini Kill. By 1994’s Live Through This, however, Courtney Love’s star had begun to grow. A veritable it-girl, her shine eclipsed the band as a whole. Seeking to capitalize, Live Through This slid from hardcore punk snarl to era defining, radio friendly grunge.
To this day, Live Through This has stood as a critical darling. In one fell swoop, Courtney Love and crew had managed to encapsulate the chaotic sexuality and feminist slant of their debut while effortlessly tapping into the rising star of The Screaming Trees and Pearl Jam. Coupling a zeitgeist forward musical approach with a singular aesthetic remnant of Love’s own public persona, Taraneh seeks to do much the same on New Age Prayer.
Within its forty-one minute runtime, New Age Prayer runs the gambit of all things-in. Swirling synths and Depeche Mode beats speak to a renewed interest in the darkwave and synthpop of yesteryear, while the sultry milieu of these thirteen tracks screams indie sleaze. “Ask & Receive” channels cult-classic shoegaze darlings Curve by-the-way of Garbage, while “Superstar” borrows from Lebanon Hanover. Both songs work thematically to deconstruct the aforementioned image of the it-girl. Whereas Courtney Love’s relationship with fame was contemptuous at best and deeply cynical of the adjoining objectification, Taraneh flips the idea on its head through a seemingly self-proclaimed superstar status.
Sexuality and identity, then, become places of power for Taraneh. “On Repeat” explores the often subservient role women are expected to take in a relationship and, in turn, the act of self-actualization that accompanies leaving. Markedly quieter than the preceding tracks, it is a sleek callback to the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s more subdued moments. If “On Repeat” is “MAPS”, however, then “Prophet” is “Heads Will Roll”. Bass heavy and sultry, “Prophet” is a chic proclamation of self against a drum and bass backdrop.
Meanwhile, “My World” shows an as-of-now uncharacteristic uncertainty within Taraneh’s facade. Messages to a “voice in my head” expressing contempt are undercut by ambiguity as the singer is seemingly skeptical of her own resolve against these ghosts. Presented again prior, near hubristic declarations, it flips the paradigm of icon and social media darling once again. Power, affirmation, and ego are asked to co-exist with doubt, hesitancy, and meekness. Self-actualization is consequently reframed from brash parading to tender exploration.
“Reckoning” furthers this idea. As the singer partners with Dark World Collective-alum Lucy (Cooper B. Handy), she once again explores the expectations thrust upon in a relationship. Thematically centered on a (perhaps over eager) waiting, the sparse dream pop diddy paints a picture of a partner expected to live up to an exaggerated image. Placed on a pedestal, Taraneh is unsure of how to live up to it, or whether or not these idealizations are fair to her. Much like Courtney Love before her, Taraneh is left wondering where the line is between the power and identity we create for ourselves and the warped idolization subsequent objectification entails.
Closing on its titular track, New Age Prayer seeks resolution musically and thematically. More sparse and soft-spoken than any of its preceding tracks, “New Age Prayer” discards the demonstrative ego to embrace closure. Compassion wins the day as Taraneh accepts that our entanglements will always be part of who we are, but do not have to singularly define who we are. As piano and guitar alike are submerged and let loose within a sea of sound, so too is the weight of all the singer carried. New Age Prayer ends as it begins with a declaration of power.
