January 1724, 2002
cd reviews|rock/pop
Moth Wranglers
Never Mind the Context
(Magnetic Motorworks)
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Ld Beghtol and Chris Xefos, the singer-instrumentalists behind Moth Wranglers, have nice friends. The Flare frontman and the ex-King Missile-ite, respectively, approach their avant-Appalachian cabaret tunes with jaundiced eyes. They approach lilting, wilting country-folk with authenticity, then dreaminess, then debauchery. “Turnabout” heehaws nicely all fiddles, flighty acoustic guitars, floating harmonies. Suddenly you realize that a) its about a serial killer; b) its got a guitar sound thatd make Lee Renaldo squirm. Theres a lot of double-takes to be had here: voices that sound like Depeche Modes Dave Gahan and Martin Gore; blasts of digital and analog; the Kinks-y polka-parlor drama of “Figure-Ground.” The Mothy duo are joined in mirthfully melodic spidery noise by Ken Stringfellow, Magnetic Fields Claudia Gonson and Stephin Merritt, Klezmatic Dave Licht and more. The whole gang makes urban theatrical-folk that youre drawn to, web-like.