Wed June 30, Graceland, 9 pm, $1.
For a musician who entered the spotlight playing bass for such mega-divas as Courtney Love and Billy Corgan, Melissa Auf der Maur escaped the '90s alterna-wars fairly unscathed. As a member of both Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins, she was the classy character who didn't rush into the solo spotlight simply to keep the fires of public interest hot after her other bands burned out. With her new eponymous debut as Auf der Maur (released at a time when her former ringleaders are either floundering or have flopped out of sight), she's emerged as an artist in her own right.
That said, Auf der Maur isn't as captivating as her past bands were in their early days, although she's still created an interesting initial effort. The slickly produced record is a mishmash of alterna-art-rock, swirling cauldrons of gothic stoner pop, hypnotic guitar drone, and dark balladry with both breathless and bold vocals. (Singing is one of Auf der Maur's strong points, although the trite erotic lines can get a bit cringe-worthy.) With such guests as Eric Erlandson (Hole), James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), John Stanier (Helmet/Tomahawk), and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), the bassist has surrounded herself with quality company, creating a record that's infinitely more compelling than Ms. Love's latest efforts--and unlike the current incarnation of her former frontwoman, there's the potential that Auf der Maur's next step will reveal further cohesion and depth to her slick alt-rock sound.
