Album Details

• Artist: Curse In The Woods
• Album: The Deals They Made
• Label: N/A
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: carlita on 2012-09-12

Media

Reading that Montreal based septet, Curse In The Woods formed when accordionist Sam Harvey connected with burlesque artist Jeannie Taylor in a metro station, my curiosity piqued. Living in New York for 23 years, I encountered some of the most fascinating performers in underground subway stations so The Deals They Made in my mind had great promise from the gate. Watching the EPK video, Taylor perfectly describes their music as "if Nina Simone and Beck had a child and they sent it to grow up in a haunted house... it would grow up, perhaps to be a fan of Curse In The Woods". With a description like that, I suspected these folk/jazz/blues/gypsy musicians as well as visual artists, would conjure up vividly bold images in their lyrics and had to press "Play" ASAP.

Assortedly flavored, theatrically "Moulin Rouge"-esque (I made this word up) especially on "Carnival", Jeannie's voice blends Ella Fitzgerald, Feist, Sade and Kimbra while seductively purring through NOLA/Parisian jazz/blues influenced opening track, "Perfect Lawns". Venturing into tango territory on "Rain Is On Its Way", these songs are screaming (like Janet Leigh in "Psycho") to be on TV or in movies and they would complement the screen superbly. Master orchestral musicians support Jeannie, making the album sound like a Broadway (which I love being a former theatre kid) musical soundtrack.  

Weaving in and out of dreary and melancholy without being depressing (yes, it's possible), and with Halloween being a few short weeks away, ghosts and goblins emerge with sound effects like chains and walking footsteps added on "Walking In The City", "Widow" and "Curse In The Woods". Building suspense during opportune moments during the songs, you might start to develop a story (ok, maybe just me) about a Red Riding Hood heroine who you hope escapes the wolf, zombie, "The Beast" or the ax or machete-wielding character potentially chasing her through the forest. Delightfully ghoulish, this group is def on "The Verge" so "Wise Up" and cop this album immediately. End scene.

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