REVIEW: Squirrel Nut Zippers, Perennial Favorites (Mammoth)
- Joe Silva
After traversing the nation on the back of their late-blooming single "Hell," the cajun-cum-swing-cum-jazzy blues outfit that is the Zippers has delivered LP number three, Perennial Favorites.
And while this record was laid to tape in an old run-down house with borrowed gear, what should have turned out to be a real down-homey sort of production, turns out to be their most expansive sounding work to date. Because of the muted horns and singer/banjo-ist (banjo player??) Katherine Whalen's Betty Boop-era vocals, both The Inevitable and Hot maintained much of the verite of the era that inspired them. But Perennial Favorites has a more of an aura in the music that has always inspired the Squirrels, rather than having its feet firmly grounded in those sensibilities.
The opener, "The Suits Are Picking Up The Bill" is a veteran of their live set from the Hot tour, as is the familiar Squirrel Nut romp that is now inate to their character. But immeadiately after, things take a different turn. The textures are deeper, and there are bursts of free-form confusion and firecrackers set up to establish the air of a tune. But then all of this is thrust alongside traditional references to "Camptown Ladies" ("Ghost of Stephen Foster") and elegant pieces like "Evening At Lafitte's."
Whatever the underlying emphasis is behind their latest bent, it's clear that while the Squirrel could have continued to traipse around the country cornering the swing revivalist movement, their artistic impetus to challenge themselves sonically is thriving and unmistakeable. Not to be missed, however, for relief to this year's oppressive heat should they come your way.
