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Margot & The Nuclear So And So's
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The Dust Of Retreat
Artemis Records
Release: 3/28/2006
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Rated:
Review by:
Dave Fox
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First of all, I want to make a promise I will not use the terms
"urban-folk" or "sex-folk" in this review. Everyone knows
those names are ridiculous. I mean it should clearly be
called "metro-folk." Anyways, all this sub-genre controversy
that has been going on for almost a year now is over
Indianapolis eight-piece band Margot and the Nuclear So and
So's. Their first album called The Dust Of
Retreat is a conglomerate of pop and folk sounds
ranging from trumpets, cellos, percussions, banjos and just
about any instrument this broke band of musicians could
afford while they were living together under the same roof in
Indianapolis.
The album plays out like one big storytelling folk song. It is a
story about a fanciful ideal of 1960s Greenwich Village; a
loosely borrowed concept from Wes Anderson's film
The Royal Tenenbaums along with the name
Margot who was Gwyneth Paltrow's nihilist, nine fingered
character in the movie. At times, the lyrics of this story are
more literally complex like on "Talking in Code" where singer
Richard Edwards sings creative writing student style "if your
touring your mind, you'll get lost every time." At other times
the story is playfully dramatic. This proves to be especially
true on the track "Paper Kitten Nightmare" where Edwards
actually manages to sing "meow, meow, meow" without
sounding absurd. Songs like "Skeleton Key" showcase the
band's talented and eclectic sounds while "Jen is Bringin' the
Drugs" and "On A Freezing Chicago Street" are much softer
and emotional, like the kind of music you hear on shows
such as One Tree Hill and Dawson's
Creak - not that I would know.
The combined sound is a mix of what could pass for
mainstream alternative and psychedelic indie folk all at
once. There are enough trumpet solos and synths to keep
the interest of even the snottiest indie hipster, but also
enough pop to battle for the number one spot on any
mainstream chart. Although Edwards says his band is
perfectly happy with indie labels and plan on working with
them forever, they certainly have the potential to sign to any
major label they want. Originally released in May of 2005,
The Dust Of Retreat was recently reissued with
their new label, Artemis. The polished new sound is as clean
as any big label record I have ever heard and if Margot can
stay true to their creative sensibility, they will surely go on
to big things. |
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