Porches‘ lead singer Ronnie Mystery may be pleading for some personal space when he sings "pay no attention while I’m getting spaced out" in ‘The Cosmos‘ (the closing track of the band’s recent LP "Slow Dance in the Cosmos") but we couldn’t disagree with him more. Having just listened one time through to the new record we are only just beginning to crack the beautifully intricate mythology behind this mysterious and multifaceted album. We are hoping the band will treat us with other similar releases for awhile, or we might never fully appreciate the number of sounds and visions they’re working with.
With ragers like ‘Skinny Trees’ packed next to breathless ballads like ‘Franklin the Flirt’ and the prom-ready ‘Intimate,’ this group keeps you guessing even while you find yourself jumping up and down. It’s folk whimsy with a rebel’s frustration and a yacht rocker’s heart. You might listen to the track ‘Xanny Bar’ and be convinced Ronny wanders into railroad boxcars to entertain hobos on his free time, then come back to ‘After Glow’ and be convinced he’s the second coming of Phil Collins. This record is a huge leap ahead for the band, and we are looking forward to hitching a ride up to New Paltz tonight to see them when they play at Oasis Cafe. If that’s too far for you, they have 3 shows scheduled in NYC in the near future (list here on the top right). Listen below to ‘Headsgiving.’ – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)