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| CD-DETAILS (LEAP SECOND) [OKIE ROSETTE] |
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After releasing eight critically acclaimed albums over more than a decade, San Francisco’s Granfaloon Bus ‘parked’ forever in 2003. The band had built up a good following in parts of Europe, and they had signed to US indie label Future Farmer (joining a roster boasting M Ward and The Mother Hips, among others) for their 7th album, ‘Exploded View’. But their difficult-to-pigeonhole style of music continued to relegate them to being one of those cultish ‘best bands you never heard of’, and many press writers wondered openly how much longer the band could possibly remain ‘under the radar’ before the world finally woke up to their considerable talents.
Following the breakup of his band, frontman and chief songwriter Felix Costanza saw it as an opportunity to explore new musical territories and to work with some different collaborators, and he turned his attentions to a new solo project, which he called ‘Okie Rosette’ (a slang expression used by some carpenters to describe a badly-hammered nail).
Eventually the new songs took shape, and The album ‘Leap Second’ was brought to life with the help of various accomplices. Thee More Shallows’ Dee Kesler lent his recording expertise and sonic wizardry to some of the tracks, Carrie Bradley (The Breeders, 100 Watt Smile) contributed violin parts, and ex-Granfaloon Bus members Jeff Stevenson (bass) and Ajax Green (guitar) found themselves unable to resist the opportunity to record with their old friend again. The addition of Rachel Stevenson’s dulcet, husky voice provided the perfect foil to Costanza’s world-weary vocals; a pairing of contrasts that calls to mind other inspired duets such as Shane McGowan and Kirsty MacColl.
As with his previous work in Granfaloon Bus, Costanza’s lyrical mastery is again evident, managing to be at once both accessible and enigmatic:
“We first met like side-view mirrors on a narrow street, smashed at infancy. Now I don’t recognize you, there’s a magnet over your face - holds you tight in the kitchen… something these arms don’t do.” (Sing The Hotel)
A description once used by a journalist to describe the music of Granfaloon Bus – ‘slanted folk-pop’ – still applies as an apt description of this mixture of folk /melodic pop/Americana stylings, further tweaked with distorted samples, electronic beats, loops and skewed lyrics.
It all adds up to a stunning album – the best work yet by Felix Costanza, and hopefully only the beginning of his long-overdue ascent ‘above the radar’.
Tracklisting:
1. Grand Opening
2. Sing the Hotel
3. The Whistle
4. Just Passing Through the Spokes
5. Candy Lane
6. My Mathematician
7. On Trial By Ordeal
8. Confetti
9. Longing For Exile
10. Rental Pond
11. All Of Your Teeth
(Quelle: Monotreme Records, 2008)
FORMAT: CD
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