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From California's foggy bay area comes the unique rock trio, Atomic Mint. The group is comprised of Lead Vocalist/Guitarist Brianna Wanlass, and backed by a funky rhythm section which includes bassist Dave Hermacillo and drummer Amadeo Donofrio. Their sound is diverse and original, a breath of fresh air in the current genre clash we have experienced of late. This band demands attention with their California grown style that encompasses many sounds. It has its roots set in funk with a dash of rock, blues, and jazz thrown in.
After first playing backyard parties and local clubs, they are finally becoming major players in the San Francisco club scene. A Better Mouse Trap is their debut album and is just under 45 minutes in length and boasts unique songs that reflect the band's energetic style. It ranges from twisted ballads to drippy funk and catchy dance beats. The album is written, recorded, and produced by the band with Wanlass at the creative helm and operating out of her Los Altos home. She dominates the original sound but the band provides a steady back up with a heavy yet strange beat.

The opening track "I Don't Even Know" showcases the band as truly unconventional. Over a brutal guitar attack the lyrics switch from rhyming to an all out crescendo, with Wanlass calling out for Indiana Jones before the song begins its final descent. The song is deep and soulful, yet contains a catchy, hook laden chorus you cant help but move too. During the second song "Desert" the vocals take on a haunting quality. The rest of the band seems to fade away during this piece except for a faint beat of background drums and melodic acoustic guitar work entwined with the exquisite lyrical delivery.

Next is the song "Lucky Socks". I would not consider this song a highlight on the album, but it does come with a fun vibe, especially with the vocals "Baby get up and shave your face! A man with a clean chin got a better chance to grin". The fourth track is "Picnic" a busy but unusual song, it comes with more of their strange lyrics, such as "Chicken, biscuits and gravy picnics, orange soda". Nonsense rhymes mixed with poetic rambling, fluid, silly and still somehow graceful.

Track 5 is aptly labeled "Track 5", an acoustic track, it falls back into the breathy melody that seems to be this vocalists strong point. Next is "Hypnotize", with its tribal intro that just slithers into the song and a groovy dramatic bass line complete with catchy guitar damage, this is a great song from this group. Followed by "No More", carrying a rock and roll vibe, it's the type of song you might hear if you were dancing into the night in a mass of bodies under black lights, suggestive of funk and groove rhythms.

Next is "Thread" with a bizarre vocal effect showcasing more of Wanlass's sultry vocal abilities. I love her poetry, some of the lyrics really struck, like "Most ravens sing face down, above me. I hear them, fly over again, now should I love for you? The song or the dream? Where will your heart go?"

This is followed by "Milkman" a funky guitar led piece, a song you might imagine hearing in a classy Vegas club in the late fifties where a gorgeous girl in a sequined, elegant gown sang you into love with her.

Next is "Feathers Fortune", which includes some mix of scratching mid song that seemed misplaced, but the vocals again overcame any problems in the approach. Next is "Cabbages and Kings" which sounds like an old record being played, an eccentric mixture of classy melody and white trash lyrics. An interesting finale, I find it chilling how beautifully, seeming almost fragile, she sings the fierce words, "Caterpillar, I want to kill her". This makes an excellent finishing track for the album, which left me a bit breathless and wishing I was back in San Francisco's underground clubs dancing all night. I bet this is an amazing live band, and I hope to catch them in the future.

I think they have major potential and it will be interesting to watch them grow and evolve as musicians in the future. I would have to say that although well thought out, the album lacks structure and would benefit from an experienced producer and engineer. The actual production quality and mix of instruments is somewhat lacking in strength, and throughout the album the vocals seem unusually high, drowning out the other instruments and whatever shape the song might have taken. Overall "A Better Mousetrap" being Atomic Mint's debut album shows room for growth, but certainly does not disappoint this listener. Wanlass has the voice of a naughty angel, with an impressive vocal range and poetic lyrics. For more information go to the bands website at www.atomicmint.com.