Brave Irene
Album | Brave Irene
Twee-pop icon Rose Melberg returns.
Final proof of the proud resurgence of the once-dormant indie powerhouse Slumberland Records is this triumphant return of '90s twee pop icon Rose Melberg. Okay, technically, Melberg has never really gone away--her most recent in a string of fine solo albums came out in 2009--but this brief yet enchanting EP is the singer-songwriter's finest work since the days when she was splitting her time between The Softies and Go Sailor. An all-female band featuring two keyboardists and a rhythm section well-schooled in Velvet Underground-style propulsion, Brave Irene rock harder and more self-assuredly than any of Melberg's previous bands, although the singer-songwriter's trademark winsome adorability remains front and center even on tracks like the brash rocker "Tangled." Guitarist/organist Caitlin Gilroy and bassist Amanda Pezzutto's equally charming harmonies entwine with Melberg's lead vocals on several songs, especially the melancholy, girl-groupish ballad "Bank Holiday," in a way sure to warm any aging indie kid's heart. Bonus points for naming themselves after an utterly charming picture book by New Yorker cartoonist William Steig.
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