Chord progressions? Melodies? It might sound strange but reviewing music makes you appreciate these things all the more. It’s – sad to say – a rarity that you get an album where you an actually remember most of the songs but, I am happy to admit, that my suspicions of the onset of dementia were laid to rest by Middle Class Fashion’s album “Girl Talk.
As you might assume from their name, “Girl Talk” is a mannered collection of songs – keyboard driven songs at that – that reflect the feminine perspective whilst taking indie pop off in a Randy Newman direction. Admittedly, sarcasm is not especially overwhelming here but, as a substitute, some well chosen, still acerbic, words are used to illustrate the crumbling inequity of a world fully stocked with disappointment with a hint of Amanda Palmer keeping things from drowning in ennui. Jenn Malzone’s voice does American politeness well and she seems ideally suited to both the enforced jauntiness of “Sugar Heart Candy” and bleak anguish of “Barbarella”.
As albums go, this one does need a bit of work. Spoiled, as I was, by the proper musicianship, “Girl Talk” proved to be a pretty dark album in terms of its lyrical content but if we were meant to be happy all the time then we wouldn’t chosen to endure democracy. You’ve got to be smart to pull off an album like this and Middle Class Fashion are well dressed, booted and suited smart.