KILL HENRY SUGAR
Sell This Place (Surprise Truck)
Reviewed by Holly Day

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Damn if this isn't cool. Scary-sounding hillbilly banjo songs about Mussolini and war and people who are completely desperate and done with their lives, jazzy little guitar ditties about having nothing and finding sanctuary in church, or putting an end to bad relationships for the last time. The great thing, the dichotomy about this album, that I really love, is that musically, this sounds all happy and folksy and almost adult-contemporary, in a way, but the lyrics are just brutal and full of hopelessness and despair and sarcasm, and it all rings totally honest and not-put-on. I guess I think it's just really impressive to try to write a song that sounds nice and happy but have it turn out gut-wrenchingly painful and sad instead, and not in a purposeful, ironic-sort of way, either.

© 2005 - Holly Day