|
| |
|
|
Shivaree
BREACH
(Zoë)
|
|
|
|
|
This California outfit is the most interesting act that Cambridge-based Rounder Record’s Zoë imprint, which has built a roster of former major-label artists, has signed. That’s largely due to the idiosyncratic vocal phrasing and perspective of frontwoman Ambrosia Parsley, who sounds like a reed instrument when she sings. At times, it seems as if one could hear the rush of air passing through her vocal cords and her throat as she plies her warm cresting and falling melodies around the band’s arrangements, breathing her way through songs that create a distinct, gently psychedelic mood. This five-song EP is a teaser for a full-length album due in early January, but it captures Shivaree’s range, from the Fellini-esque merry-go-round feel of "Fear Is a Man’s Best Friend" — with the playfully ironic line "life and death are just things that you do when you’re bored" — to the country ballad "657 Bed B," a lullaby that twists unexpectedly into nightmare. Shivaree nail the mystery in Brian Eno’s perverse tale of intrigue "The Fat Lady of Limbourg," which Parsley sings as if its words were peanut-butter taffy and she’d just polished off a martini. And "I Close My Eyes" is a snappy little pop number with a framework of guitars, keyboards, and a gliding bridge that checks in somewhere between Ennio Morricone and Serge Gainsbourg. As magnetic as Parley’s performances are, her supporting players have no shortage of taste, chops, or imagination. Their semi-acoustic endeavors are full of unexpected ticks like the "sprong" of an amp’s reverb box being kicked, bells that suddenly ring in the mix, or sudden downrushes on a baritone guitar. All of which makes Shivaree comforting, riveting, and even a little shocking. (Shivaree perform this Friday, November 19, at the Lizard Lounge, 1667 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge; call 617-547-0759.)
|
