Arts
Brilliant Hope, Pointed Politics
Brilliant
Hope, Pointed Politics
Girlyman's Ty, Doris and Nate
by Stacey Horn
| Little
Star Girlyman Daemon Records |
Girlyman's
eagerly-awaited second album is, in the words of the final track, "a
little star of brilliant hope." The Brooklyn-based band's three members
– Nate Borofsky, Ty Greenstein and Doris Muramtsu – sing these
lyrics in perfectly-tuned three-part harmony over the faintest ringing
of pedal steel, their voices blending flawlessly, yet remaining distinct:
a characteristically Girlyman moment.
Little Star, released last month,
follows Girlyman's debut album, Remember Who I Am (2003). The
band signed with Amy Ray's indie label, Daemon Records, in August of 2004
after winning a series of honors that year including "Most Wanted
to Return" at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the Independent Music Award,
and the Outmusic Award for Best New Album.
Girlyman's website describes their music
as "Delicious Acoustic Harmony-Driven Gender Pop." You can file
Little Star in the contemporary folk section of your CD collection,
but be prepared for forays into pop, country, bluegrass, even a little
jazz and rock. The album features original songs by each member of the
band, and lead vocals shift from one member to another both within and
among tracks. This collaborative, ensemble sound, which characterized
Remember Who I Am, is even more powerful on Little Star.
Band members trade instruments frequently, though most tracks feature
Doris on guitar, Ty on percussion and Nate on baritone guitar. Many songs
also include a banjo or mandolin. Listen for Julie Wolf, of the Ani Difranco
band, on keyboard and accordion and Joe Dye on pedal steel.
Little Star is more overtly political
than Remember Who I Am. Girlyman's lyrics allude to current events
by addressing the broad, underlying issues behind them. In "Young
James Dean," Ty sings in the voice of a woman who refuses to conform
to 1950s gender roles: "manager said I had to wear that little uniform/said
I was part of the problem." The song's lyrics point succinctly to
the link between identity and politics: "I guess I'll feel less than
real all my life." War is another major theme. In "Commander,"
the band asks, in haunting, almost taunting harmony, "Did they take
you and make you believe it was clear/when they made you commander and
you couldn't be it?" Listeners
will, no doubt, be reminded of a certain commander in chief, as the band
chronicles his past: "When the war came you ran for your life/as
your businesses dried."
Many tracks deal with love and confession.
Doris's "Speechless" is a love song with a catchy melody, and
her "Bird on the Wire" is musically playful, with a slightly
strange yet appropriate chord change at the end of the second chorus.
Ty's
"Genevive" is perhaps the album's sweetest love song, featuring
Ty's clear alto voice backed by simple harmony and light instrumentation.
Nate's "I Know Where You Are" promises sweetly, "I'll bring
you home and carry your shit to the house."
Girlyman's humor and playfulness,
coupled with their seriousness about making good music, are winning them
a growing number of "girlyfans." Listeners new to the band will
want to pick up Remember Who I Am along with Little Star.
Both albums are available nationally in CD format, and Remember Who
I Am is now on iTunes. Girlyman will hit the folk festival circuit
again this summer in their biodiesel-powered van, Bijou. Tour dates and
locations are available on their website: www.girlyman.com
Stacey Horn is on summer hiatus from teaching collegians writing in
preparation for a fall trip to Hungary. We look forward to her notes from
abroad.