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The Drews:
The Sins of Others
There are two very different pictures of Andrew and Jen DiMartino featured on the liner notes of their new album. One is a black-and-white shot, the pair posed stoically with their favorite wooden string instruments like American Gothic-gone-country singers. Turn the page, and the couple is portrayed as a cartoon version of Harry Potter meets Star Wars, grinning wildly while sailing through galaxies in their rocket-powered, red T-bird, bass and guitar in tow. This photographic juxtaposition of past and future touches exactly on the musical content of The Sins of Others, the second release from the Seattle duo (which accepts lots of assistance from percussionist Chris Adams). The Drews self-description, Americana with twisted roots, explains it all: an album that is planted in country, but branches out in a big way. Opener Not So Near to Here represents this theme, referring both to the classic country catchphrase lost highway and to Andrews alien brain. His booming bass vocals lap on country guitar backing here, as in most of the other numbers. Exceptions to this preset are infrequent. Nasty Girls is like a Brer Rabbit folk song with its southern-style country, buzzing kazoo and sneaky wit. The Drews added vocals (including females) to the racy chorus: We like the girls that voh-dee-oh-doh/Know what they like and are fond of fellatio. Necroditty follows suit, a traditional trickster tale so colorful that it could someday inspire its own Disney ride.
To the unfocused ear, Gods Green Room comes off as a generic folk tune. Once listeners start tuning in, though, the song reveals itself as a sarcastic commentary on religious leaders who use prayer sessions to fund personal endeavors. Sound clips from hack television pastors are distorted in the background of repeated chorus: Your prayers will be answered right here on live TV/If you want to get to heaven, send your money to me. Jen DiMartino leads Dutch Flowers, which reads like a Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds ode to psychedelic trips, but sounds more like a toe-tapping Dolly Parton ditty. The album then crackles its way into the title track, with gritty dark country harmonies that might have been pulled straight out of O Brother Where Art Thou. Jazzy Bones at Eleven features scatting and bass guitar solos. These roots sure are twisted, but theres a place on the tree for everyone.
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