About 20 or 30 years ago, a woman named Phoolan Devi was raped in India by a gang of men. After she recovered from the incident, she began to take revenge on the men who had assaulted her. She hunted them down and murdered all of them, one by one.

Phoolan Devi is among the people that Bonfire Madigan "thanks the 20th Century for" on her latest release ...From The Burnpile. This in itself should indicate the amount of tension and frustration built up behind this woman's... um... music.

Madigan Shive provides a deep dissonance with both her voice and her choice of notes. Her vocals are, at times, mega- theatrical and create a crescendo that goes nowhere. Clearly, she's a passionate person. But this passion can be somewhat distracting; for example, in "For Life Long" a perfectly decent guitar melody is overshadowed by Shive's barking lyrics.

But there are also instances when Shive really shines. "Promised" is the record's highlight-- it's almost inspiring, with its strong melody and consistent level of drama, and all the pieces fall together to create a refreshingly whole piece.

Shive isn't exactly what you might call "accessible," and that's fine-- she's an experimentalist. The thing ...From The Burnpile has going for it is its integrity. Shive realize that while she's not exactly making music, she is making art. And she stands by it.

-Aparna Mohan