A fierce rocker without words, called “Intro to a Sinister Smile.” A concise document that erupts out of the former, called “Nice Fex.” Can’t really discern what Jen Schande is saying, but her vocals are among the best consonants/vowels I’ve ever heard from a female rocker: They have the snarl of that girl who’s behind the gym scowling and smoking on her first day of junior high (not, of course, that Punk Globe or I endorse that life choice). Ha.

We’re talking about a woman with the guts to intro the next song with precisely spaced electric guitar steps, with some vaguely ominous axe work in the background. And then Schande’s voice, rising from murky depths to bite out the words of “Ghost Power.” Is the playing on 19: Songs for and Inspired by Valencia Chapter 19 an exercise in creative simplicity? You bet. Does it work? Sh*t, yeah. Moreover, Schande has the confidence to follow “Ghost Power” with a distant bell tone, the strum of a lone electric guitar, her voice saying something or other, and another distant bell tone.

I wish people tended to be open-minded enough to want to hear new sounds without any references to other music. But, folks being as they often are, here are some things that would go well with Jen Schande: The Breeders. P.J. Harvey. Cat Power. Sonic Youth. Actually, that sounds pretty amazing. Welcome to one of the coolest girls’ rooms in the world, Jen. With bursts of impassioned sound like “I Really Like Sonic Youth and I Really Want to Have Sex with You,” I think you may have helped paint the walls black in a former lifetime.

If Schande’s name sounds familiar, you might live in San Francisco, have heard the 7” she split with The Cribs, heard something by Boyskout, and/or experienced her own self-titled band. 19… is Schande’s musical rumination on the autobiography of Michelle Tea. Although its official release date is July 17, you can pre-order it on her Bandcamp page:
http://allthingsschande.bandcamp.com, as well as checking out her band’s amusing Facebook profile:
http://www.facebook.com/SchandeMusic