(SELF-RELEASED DIGITAL EP; 2012)
This is what Elvis (the dead, fat one) would sound like if he were a lot younger, a lot hipper, a chick and not dead. The latest from former Shivaree front-woman Ambrosia Parsley, I MISS YOU, I DO, offers a divine taste of her next full-length, WEEPING CHERRY. Listening to the five songs, it’s easy to understand why the thing was originally going to be called FOUR FUNERALS AND A WEDDING.
The first track, “The Other Side,” features a teen-angsty ’50s kinda vibe, but with bigger drums (think Phil Specter’s Wall of Sound) and a fuzzy, tremelo-laced guitar leading the charge. Ambrosia’s sweet voice almost gets lost in the bigness of the musical backing. Nonetheless, a great opener!
A gloomy, plaintive minor key piano backs Ambrosia to start “Whispering Pines,” an elegantly doom-laden little number. Eventually, a church organ, bells, acoustic guitar and bass join in. As a male counter-vocal enters at about the 2:30 mark, the song hits a third, separate feel – somehow more crushing and claustrophobic than the first two.
“Nighttime” is a duet of sorts, featuring the same male voice (sorry… wish I had names to go along with voices and instruments, but all I have is music!) from “Whispering Pines.” Even though the music (featuring guitar – both acoustic and electric, piano and eventually, drums and bass) and vocals sound breezy at the start, by the time Ambrosia sings “Get me outta here/Get me outta here/I hate it here/Get me outta here,” a phobic paranoia settles in. The creep factor is high on this one which, even at only two-and-a-half minutes long, makes it an instant favorite around here.
With more loud guitars and drums, “Losing the Holiday” offers a more “modern” feel to the proceedings. Again, Ambrosia’s vocals are nearly lost in the din during the chorus. She does shine through brightly on the verses, in which a sense of hopelessness and loneliness and a certain tired resignation are evident. The fact that these songs are presented with an almost lighthearted airiness makes the underlying tone of despondency that much more ominous. This is GOTH music without the black backdrops and eye-makeup.
“The Answer (Tim and Becky’s Wedding)” is supposed to be the happy song, but with lines like “When my hands are tied and my hair’s a mess” and “There’s no chance at all, I confess/The answer’s yes,” the picture painted is of a victim succumbing to her tormentor (rapist?). The song again hearkens back to that ’50s teen drama sound (almost a doo-wop feel, except for the presence of instrumentation).
I MISS YOU, I DO has definitely whetted my appetite for more. Bring on WEEPING CHERRY!