After years as second banana in groups like the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole, Auf der Maur steps out with a surprisingly strong debut album. Certainly this album will be compared to the most recent release by her former boss, Courtney Love — and rightfully so.

Auf der Maur’s work, however, comes without the nutcase stigma, leaving her lyrically mysterious as opposed to just spilling her guts about her horrible life. The result is complete intrigue with tracks like the cacophonous "Lightning Is My Girl," or "Followed the Waves," with its ominous warning, "I’m gonna shuffle his deck clean."

Most of the disc’s songs were written by Auf der Maur, who demonstrates that not only has she learned a lot from Billy Corgan, but also that she listened to a lot of Led Zeppelin in her day. Corgan and Love are no-shows on the album, but old friends Eric Erlandson and James Iha have guest spots, along with Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri of Queens of the Stone Age.

Grade: B+