Pages

1/04/2011

Power und Beauty The Gnome EP (Peppermill)


Behind the Spokane-based, Washington, US-quartet Power und Beauty are four women (Anna Collins-Wakeman, Sarah Moyer, Karli Fairbanks, and Caroline Fowler) playing up an interesting, New Weird America-esque folk conception on 4 tracks by using more or less conventional musical instruments (a battery sustained second hand keyboard, tambourine, vegetable steamer(!), glockenspiel, accordion, guitars, tambourine, shakers), yet basically being actualized via at times magnificently glee vocal harmonies, conjuring sublime overtones as well, for instance at Author Of The Spring, the strongest notch on the issue, accompanied only by some sparse guitar fingerpickings. The opening track Beggars and Felons, on the other side, is a whimsical, accordion-backboned groove outlook, and the following one, Lavender, is a light run of fast-paced progression on the accordion, having made out the impression with the help of barely heardable yet affectively touching shaker shuffle on the backdrop. Peaches is a (more) synth-chorded, half-droned folk occurence. A fine workout indeed.

Listen to it here

8.7