Who are the Sunparlour Players? While their third full-length disc is a dynamic, polished production full of multi-instrumental sparsity and density, there remains a core of, well, is it a kind of roots rock ’n’ roll? The instruments are relatively unmodified, with acoustic guitars, banjos, snare drum-rolls and even sleigh bells underlying the simple but evocative storytelling.
It’s a bit deceiving. At first, it sounds like Billy Joel is releasing new music with more drums than he’s used to, and with a slightly more political bent (“Towers of steel and traders’ flinch / But that bastard he didn’t move an inch that day,” taken from the 9/11-themed “Runner”). But then the drums pick up and the singer stops crooning and starts shrieking “Red Blood! Red of Home!” And then they pick up the banjo and tell a story of heroism resonant with down-home friendliness and nostalgia.
Sure, there are some strange shifts, but the songwriting is strong throughout — whether talking about someone’s grandpa and the line of descent to their current love (“Green Thumb”) or mystically looking for the answer to life questions (“Don’t Be Afraid of the Spark”), their use of instruments and vocals is unfettered, original and still musical. A refreshing ass-kicking in a country-folk-rock storytelling mix.
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