The Watson Twins vs. hor d'oeuvres

February 4, 10:51 AMDenver Live Music ExaminerWilliam Jiles

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Everyone who knows me, knows I love things. I especially love little things, but what I really get off on is little things that are usually larger. For example, little people, little M&M's, ukuleles, the Olsen twins and dessert hor d'oeuvres. Which is why I've been known to spend upwards of fifteen minutes in the bakery department at any grocer (a word I once misspelled at a third grade spelling bee) greedily choosing one of every cake.Little cakes with little icing designs, hearts, roses etc. really get my motor running and I thoroughly enjoy eating them all within a half hour after their purchase while listening to music. Usually it'sJason Mraz's "I'm Yours" on repeat, but lately it's been it's been The Watson Twin's debut solo album Fire Songs. 
 
Like most of the music crowd I was introduced to the twins by trainwreck Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley on her debut solo CD Rabbit Fur Coat, which now frequents Sirius Satellite Radio's "Outlaw Country" station. I've found the twins' CD to be a zoned out masterpiece. As lyricists, The Watson Twins are as mediocre as expected, or have as much as can be expected from to refugees trapped behind Jenny Lewis's bad hair and primitive bathroom poetry for years. Aside from the 8th grade prose, the music is absolutely wonderful. Thankfully, the two don't have any stupid gimmick like Coco Rosie and their creepy Ring like hair, but rather a very cute Molly Shannon kind of look, which is always amusing and even more so doubled. 
 
Initially I was drawn to their vocalization. Throughout the CD, their vocal phrasing is tantalizing. Each word has been tweaked to have a unique melody that is seamlessly sewn into the music. Every line is presented to me like those tiny cakes I love. Track Five, "Map To Where You Are", has one of the most interesting rhythms on the album. The drums capitalize on the upbeat while the words dance in the empty spaces. Most importantly, a set of castanets, one of my favorite instruments, creeps in towards the end of the song with a heartfelt vengeance. I'd like to believe that one of the girls hopped on those babies like a click-a-clackin' mad woman, but something tells me during their submission under Jenny Lewis's oppressive rule, they weren't allowed such ethnic percussive accessories, or even instruments. 

The opening track, "How Am I To Be", knocked me off my feet while I was viciously tearing apart the Container Store for a couple small jars for my new bookcase. With Carly Simon-esque vocal influences, the girls weave together a deliciously catchy song decorated with glockenspiels and a reggae style guitar. Although I find myself wishing the CD was more like the first song, after sitting listening to their beautiful additions to the end of every word, the CD is growing on me like a resistant weed, except I really like this weed. Each song is different and seemingly carefully placed on the CD.
 
Although I didn't completely like all the lyrics, the CD overall is wonderful and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a good car soundtrack or some nice zoning out music. The feel of this album is very mellow and calming, to me, I feel it's what Cat Power (another favorite artist) has been trying to get to, but can only achieve it through covers. So join me, every night, keep an open mind, grab some Little Debbies and sit.