|
On their second full-length the Sisters Boekbinder (Zoe and Kim) continue to prove that they are one of the best duos actively recording, rivaling The Ditty Bops. This new recording, "What's in the Box?", finds the ladies perfecting the sound they introduced on "Separated at Birth". They've chosen to work with a wonderful producer and musician: Myles Boisen (Tom Waits, Tiger Lillies, Club Foot Orchestra).
It's clear that Boisen "gets" the girls. There's never anything here that doesn't need to be, yet there's nothing drown out. Each instrument comes through clear as a bell (which is saying something when the instruments include typewriter and BBQ grill). That's not to imply that everything is recorded at the same level. He knows what's to be up front and what provides background support.
It shouldn't be too surprising that what is usually up front is the wonderful/strange voices of the sisters. Zoe has an amazing voice that harkens back to 20s-30s Jazz and Kim has a rich singer/song writer croon that is both warm and melancholy. There's room enough on this CD to for each woman to be featured. Zoe shines on pieces like the jazzy "Done Wrong" and Kim draws us into her world on the almost-goth "Bone Yard". Yet they work best when they work together.
Their distinct voices harmonize perfectly. But it may be their unity of vision that binds them with a siamese soul. They both bring something to the party, but their idea of the end product is unified. Only Kim and Zoe could make a record quite like this, only they could compose songs so devilishly fun, so seriously childlike.
The start off this collection (this album, this treasure chest, this jewel box) with the gleefully macabre "Grandfather". Though brief it quickly rewrites the rules for what people should bequeath leave in their wills. The last few songs on the recording, "Dignified" and "Found Myself", are post-relationship pride jazzy-blues anthems. Scattered between you'll find sinister circus sounds ("Long Red Hair", "Interlude #2"), piano cabaret ("Wednesday's Child"), baroque come-ons ("Take Your Shirt Off"), the "planet porn" of "The Astronomer" and the blues-stomp of "She Comes". They even make tackling environmental issues sound like fun ("Global Warming").
"What's in the Box?" is vaudeville as attic sale. At first you're not exactly sure what you purchased, but you know that you got a great deal. Each time you dig through the box you're bound to find a new treasure or rediscover a lost keepsake. And soon enough you'll be singing (or screaming) along.
P.S: My copy of "What's in the Box?" came with "post card" that sums up each song in a brief sentence or two. I'm not sure if it comes with every copy of the CD, but it should. It's the best "liner notes" I've encountered in years.
--
|
