On the surface, Charming Disaster sound almost whimsical but a mere scratch will reveal their depth, and indeed their dedicated interest in darker matter. The Brooklyn ‘goth folk’ duo, sing about the occult, death, magic and… amateur science!
The full-time touring/recording, and exquisitely attired pair, released their fifth album, ‘Super Natural History,’ on March 3. It contains solid mixes from Brooklyn, Maryland, and some home recordings, stitched together to faithfully capture the dark duo’s eerily harmonious sound. Song titles include: Monsters, Bat Song, Disembodied Head and Wrong Way Home.
The pre-release track, Hellebore, opens with ukulele and stark bass only to expand ‘pleasantly,’ into more dreamy, full band territory. Bat Song with its delicate piano opening could easily wind its way through the poignant down tempo scene of any movie or tv series, and possibly should. Grimoire is elevated by a horn section, stabbing its way through the track (sorry, just had to go there) before the shimmying, Disembodied Head conjures visions of light surf rock, and/or Patti Smith at her most commanding. It’s all new and old, and strangely ancient, and the lyrics are kind of hilarious with lines such as:
Wake up one day and here you are
You’re just a brain inside a jar
You need some air you go outside
Ten thousand heads are floating by
But again, I say, don’t be fooled. You will giggle at the consistent dark allusions, but I guarantee you will walk the dimly lit streets gleefully singing the chorus, “Disembodied Head.”
And that’s it right there; there’s a tongue in cheek intelligence to everything Charming Disaster does. All the grin inducing actoring they spread before you, belies the fact that these are master craftspeople in the trade of songwriting and arranging; a little Brother’s Grimm cottage industry, a dastardly DIY entity that manages to tour nationally.
The album is a dark gem, the live performances likewise. I’ll see you all at The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls on April 30, and of course, I’ll be drinking something… dark.
Get your tickets to the Charming Disaster April 30 show at The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls
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