The path to originality is littered with the corpses of musical influences both remembered and forgotten but the mark of a true performer is whether the act of reinventing the past ends up being more than just another exorcism of yesterday’s glories. Fortunately for our collective ears on this sun shiny day, Weege & The Wondertwins have infused all that they do with both a sense of fun and a respect for the sounds of the past.
The cynical might suggest that this is the kind of band that might have been created to curry favour with the audiences of big city festivals and they might well be right. However, I would doubt that the consumers of such events would truly appreciate all that we find within the tastefully decorated musical walls of “Do I Seem Weird Lately?”. The elegant and individual voice of Lexi Weege triumphs against all adversaries with her, sometimes peculiar, mix of dramatic overshoot and earthy charm evoking memories of greats of a rather more theatrical past and, with precision musicality keeping her company, she weaves the sharply written songs between jazz, country swing and cabaret genres with both skill and poise.
The easy on the ear songs simply fly by with the playful “Sourpuss” and the old time “Unfulfilled Woman” – to name but two – soon becoming best friends with your ears and duly making “Do I Seem Weird Lately?” the kind of album that will have you pressing the repeat button.
Best song? The quasi country yet charmingly laconic “Damn The Wind”.
The Verdict? Weege and The Wondertwins win again.
Available from Bandcamp.