The Lesser Birds of Paradise - Space Between

Space Between. CON 056. Released: 08.08.06
Tracklisting: My Refrain / A Rehearsal / Paint Your Fingernails / Do You Remember When (We Overthrew the Government)? / Always The Sound / I Envy the Photons / Claire Danes, If You Ever Get a Nose Job, I Swear to Jesus I'll Hang Myself / Spider Outside / So The Bear Wipes His Ass with the Rabbit / The Devil's Rope / Take the Leaves / A Mother's Arms / You Are My Sunshine
Those who enjoyed the lovingly arranged String of Bees, the Lesser Birds of Paradise's previous long player, will welcome with open arms Space Between, the group's latest recording. Vocalist/guitarists Tim Joyce and Mark Janka and drummer Greg Thomas have crafted another nuanced set of finely wrought and imaginatively scored songs. "My Refrain" is a lonesome, drone-filled pastoral ambler, haloed by musical saw glissandi; equally rustic is the folksy "Devil's Rope." On "A Rehearsal," understated vocals are accompained by laters of acoustic guitars and un unobstrusive horn section playing lush harmonies. In a piquant juxtaposition, "Do You Remember When (We Overthrew the Government?)" pits dark lyrics ("Catch a bullet/with your head...") against a relaxed, hazy instrumental accompainiment, complete with plaintive harmonica solo. Lest one is worried that the group operates on a relentlessly mellow frequency, Thomas lets the cymbals rip and Janka and Joyce indulge in some tasty instrumental breaks on "Always the Sound." Still, Space Between abounds with memorable ballads , including the delicate "I Envy the Photons" and an imaginatively titled open letter to a siren of the screen: "Claire Danes, If You Ever Get a Nose Job, I Swear to Jesus I'll Hang Myself." A special standout is "Take the Leaves," which boasts the album's best melody and a deft arrangement, which begins with just voice and guitar and accumulates chorale-like horn passages along the way. The album closer if a quixotic, piano-laden slowcore version of "You are My Sunshine." Space Between is an affecting recording that often speaks softly, but with beguiling results. SIGNAL TO NOISE

There's an odd tension when one finds a relatively obscure band that is on the verge of something big: you want to keep it a secret, so the band can be yours and yours alone, but you also want to share it with everyone you know, shout it from mountaintops. Well, mountaintop, meet The Lesser Birds of Paradise. Space Between is one of those albums where the appeal swings from song to song depending on your mood. The guitars veer between jangling country style riffs and shimmering accents, all kept centered by Mark Janka's understated vocals. "I Envy The Photons" is one of the best songs of the year, unafraid of its own IQ, so sparsely gorgeous it's painful. Keeping such a wonder as The Lesser Birds of Paradise a secret would be selfishness akin to hiding a great work of art in a private collection. SPARE CHANGE MAGAZINE

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