puerto muerto - i was a swallow

by Polly Rappaport on Wed, 2008/04/09 - 12:24am
Released: Mon, 2008/04/14 on Fire records
ARTROCKER RATING:

With a history of album titles such as Your Bloated Corpse and See You in Hell to their name, Puerto Muerto’s latest album presents a significant change of pace. It's a stripped down, beautifully simplified take on their own special brand of dark country cabaret.

It’s a low-key record which presents us the bare bones of arty American folk, but still leans towards the gothic. Or to put it another way, there's still the odd piece of rotting flesh lying around, 'neath the floorboards of the abandoned cabin.

it's an incredibly listenable record that reveals clever details and nuances with each play...
Puerto Muerto’s trademark sound combines the disenchanted burlesque of Kurt Weill and the crooning gravel of Tom Waits. The velvety, rich vocals of Christa Meyer are reminiscent of Joan Baez, and are artfully layered to create some hauntingly lovely - and deeply creepy music. The tracks vary from the dramatic, ravaged ruins of ‘Hello Moscow’ to the innocent strains of ‘My Best Friend’, a song which smiles sweetly even as it holds a rusty kitchen knife clasped behind its back. While less conventional bands might sing “holding my heart in the palm of your hand” metaphorically, Puerto Muerto mean it literally. Despite it’s atmosphere of lost love, moonlit wastelands and half dug graves, I Was A Swallow is not overtly wrist-slashy; in fact it’s an incredibly listenable record that reveals clever details and nuances with each play. It should be recommended as a gateway album to those not yet familiar with Muerto music or indeed anyone who’s ever wondered what it would sound like if Tom Waits and Joan Baez had a jam session (hint, hint).

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