TALBOT TAGORA:
Lessons in the Woods Or a City: CD
Now we’re talkin’! It took me a second to get into this, but now I really like it. My mind did wander at times, and I feel like the album took a while to get going, but it’s interesting and kind of weird, which often times really works for me. There are lots of varied tempos, even within the same song. Kind of discordant and cacophonous. The vocals, which, oddly, sometimes reminded me of Perry Farrell (only creepier), add to that. I might put them in the same camp as bands like the Chromatics, only not the next section over, maybe one across the park. What kind of camps do they have in Seattle, anyway?! Some of the guitar sound might or might not be Sonic Youth-inspired, and there were times I heard a wee bit of the A Frames. There were also some things about it that reminded me of another great band I got to review lately, Golden Triangle, and they are (coincidentally?!) both on the same label, Hardly Art. The artwork is great; there’s a really nice insert with lots of drawings (including a sweet moth picture) and lyrics. I think I will get into it even more after a couple more listens. Favorite lyrics so far: “…the roads are red but they crucifixed it.” And ah-ha! The rest of the lyrics in that song refer to a camping trip! It’s all coming together now…. –Jennifer Federico (Hardly Art)