Sometimes you can listen to the radio for hours and have the music float right over you. But then a new song starts and it immediately grabs your attention and reminds you that music is supposed to be enjoyable. Such was the case with "True" by True Margrit off their album Seaworthy. Perhaps it was the strident piano that is soon accompanied by staccato cello that leads to an ominous verse that often takes a relaxed, hopeful breath in the simple chorus. More orchestration occurs as the song develops, at times refreshing and then suddenly threatening, taking the listener through many moods in just three and a half minutes without ever leaving its original melody. Breath-taking!
Fortunately the rest of the album is just as impressive. The band is formed around Margrit Eichler on piano whose lead vocals are lonely, soulful, expressive and sensitive without a trace of ego, similar at times to Aimee Mann or Mary Lorson of Madder Rose. Joining Eichler is Gary Hobish on basses and guitars and Andrew Bacon on drums, plus a whole slew of friends on cello, flute, sax, oboe, bassoon and percussion. The music they create is very organic, sweet and sincere, mixing pop, folk, cabaret and jazz, a kind of friendly Dresden Dolls without the cruel self-aware pomp.
Consider the dramatic "Everyone Wins," where Eichler examines our need for love with a wistful longing, singing "It's just a game / If there's no risk / the whole world wants this" in a resigned fashion, building to an aggressive chorus of pizzicato strings and digging cello. The sedate "Electricity" cleverly compares the interaction between electricity and water to human relationships: "We never touch / We're separate atoms." Muted sax and a midnight feel lend to the stark and sobering feel of the song.
Seaworthy deftly combines mostly upbeat, bright, cheery melodies with a dark or melancholy edge a few yards below the surface. "Deliver Me" sounds like a breezy Randy Newman song with a hint of New Orleans jazz, but the lyrics deal with blame and revenge. In the enjoyable "Members Only," Eichler recalls a dream in which she "joined the club" and became "endowed in ways I was not born," stating, "Now when I drift off to sleep / I want my piano but you keep / Strapping that guitar on me / An instrument I do not need," all with a wistful, playful, jaunty piano riff.
Thirteen songs and not a sinker in the bunch. True Margrit compose appealing songs in a variety of styles and with melodies as playful as their lyrics, incorporating everyone from Carole King to the Breeders into a cohesive unity. The band gracefully rounds out their adult-oriented sound with enough layers, instrumental variety, rich harmonies and rousing, singable melodies to bring you back to their open waters time and time again.
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