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"Ships at Sea" and her opening synthesizer - a simple, stark
assignment of hits - reminds this broken-hearted listener of the opening
credits from PT Anderson's Magnolia,
a movie better known for its dark view on life, death and the dismal
things that fit in between. That being said - The
Mystery & Her Crew has much to do with the theme of death,
drownings ("Young Eyes") and despair, while brilliantly masking
these morbid tales with sugary tones of optimism. One could [mildly]
compare part time vocalist Eliza Sohn to that of Aimee
Mann, but I would rather place her in another category entirely alongside
personal favorites Chan Marshall and Death by Chocolate's Angie Tillett
(hear: "White
Sheets"). When Raf Spielman adds the second layer of synth
to "Ships at Sea", what we are presented with is a damn fine
opening to an equally addictive mini-album.
A Portland {by way of} Providence, RI trio
that includes beautiful
Sohn, other vocalist / guitarman Brian Yoder and Get!HimEat!Him's Spielman
on all things instrumental - The Golden Hours have
made a fan out of me after just 2 spins. Had this band made it on one
of those trusted CMJ samplers back in the day [no doubt wedged in between
a slammin' P.O.D. track and some other guttershit flamewagon], I would
certainly have been on the bullet train to search out more. Super-fi
and fitting for a US tour with like-sounded crew the Parenthetical
Girls - wait - know this! " Ships At Sea"
and closer "Drop Anchor" are variations on the same tune that
deal with finding your place in the world (under
the sea of course) and having the air in your loving lungs replaced
with that of deep, salty sea waters.
All this
from the same band that tour their own parents living rooms and record
on secondhand Teddy
Ruxpin tapes.
Forget
anything I said about
Aimee Mann, man.
Do hear The
Golden Hours, flower power.
/Death
Metal\ is fin.
"I'm about to lose control and I think I like it".
David Blane should have died. What a pussy.
Charlie
Murphy
:: ( that April of
2006 ) 
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