Tansy & Tarweed – A Mingling of Freak Phenomena
Folksy hippie-rock, galore! Tansy & Tarweed speak their minds on A Mingling of Freak Phenomena, touching on topics like childhood, American social structure and memes, and society’s “take a pill” attitude toward our problems. The band comprises of Brittney Sahatjian, Aryeh Gonif, and Mark Gunnery.
The album’s male-female harmonies are raw and somewhat rugged, much like the vocal stylings of The Moldy Peaches. There’s pretty sparse instrumentation; mostly acoustic guitar, some programmed and real drums, strings, and the occasional electric guitar and bass. There are gorgeous trumpet parts on the songs “Still Beating” and “Golden Egg,” as well as clarinet on the song “When Our Day Comes.”
Something that makes this album stand out is the lyrical content, emphasized by beautiful vocal melodies on the part of Sahatjian and Gonif. Such as the song, “Hot Dry Ground,” which includes “I drew you a picture in history class, I folded it like a note and passed it/It was us as crude cartoons, just soaring high above the burning school.” Like folk music should, the lyrics create imagery that gets the songs’ message across while still being captivating.
There’s a bonus track at the end of A Mingling of Freak Phenomena about Rumors nightclub that’s very different than the rest of the album (to say the least). It’s basically a rap song, more than likely inspired by The Trucks. Weird end to the album, but jarring enough to be funny.
The CD is available at Everyday Music, filed in local under “Mark Gunnery.”
Released on Riot Folk Collective
riotfolk.org
