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January 30th, 2006 by Dave McGovern (Permalink)
Label: Artemis Year: 2005 Add Comments |
Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s is the darling of Indianapolis; whiskey fueled five o’clock shadow folk is the name of the band and their ever-growing roster. The band currently has eight members; a vocalist/guitarist, vocalist/Rhodes keyboardist, drummer, guitar, bass, trumpet, cello, and a percussionist whose job it is to bang on anything he finds before the show (think Joel from the Brian Jonestown Massacre if he branched out from the tambourine).
Frontman Richard Edward’s voice sounds like a post-pubesecent Rivers Cuomo. There is no whine from Edward’s mouth but rather a nicotine-tinted hopeful remorse that reaches the marrow of your bones and leaves you reaching for the flask. From yowl to whisper, Richard has one of the most honest voices in recent memory.
The Dust of Retreat, the debut from Margot, released on standard recording, is twelve tracks of melodic, thick folk-rock. The album shifts beautifully from emotional highs and lows. The first track of the record, “A Sea Chanty of Sorts,” opens with an echoing keyboard and leaks into a slow guitar and vocal melody accompanied by a drum beat suitable for a half paced march. The resulting creation is a sullen moment of mourning facing out to the ocean.
“Quiet as a Mouse” offers a rich and full sound, similar to a more emotionally balanced Arcade Fire and a focused Rogue Wave with a trumpet breakdown to round out the equation. This track, like many others, is an experience that best saved for a live performance. The sounds created by this group are mammoth and odds are you will get trampled, but there will be a smile on your face.
The “rough ‘em up get fucked up” aesthetic of the band is best felt on “Barfight Revolution, Power Violence”. This chopped up rock song has all the elements to become a radio single while still having enough substance and credibility to be found acceptable by the more pretentious and discriminating fans.
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