Album Review: Gay Paris - 'The Skeleton's Problematic Granddaughter'

If there was an award for most interesting song titles, Sydney’s Gay Paris would win hands down on their debut album ‘The Skeleton’s Problematic Granddaughter.’ The titles suit the music on the record well, as they are just as strange as each other.

Opening track "Turns Out You’re Not A Cowgirl After All," begins with the low pitched croak which is the vocal style of singer WH Monks. Couple this with dirty guitar driven funk rock and you have summed up Gay Paris quite well. "Deadrie Fell’s Dog Park Blues" follows with a slow paced stomp and guitar led dynamics that move from heavy to soft extremely well.

This is music that certainly will not be for everyone mainly due to the new age Tom Waits style vocals that after a while become tiresome. The gritty bass line of "Future Wolf And The Gay Parisian Milk Incident" leads to a healthy mix of Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Faith No More, that chops and changes swapping catchy melodies with hard rock guitar riffs. "House Fire In The Origami District," has a blues rock feel that wings nicely before the super funk plus hillbilly vibe of "The Black Tooth Supper Club."

The first single from the record, "My First Wife? She Was A Fox Queen," takes an 80’s pub rock angle with tight punchy verses that lead to an ACDC inspired chorus. The vocal layering of "Soliloquy From Esther Station" is a record highlight as the song really only contains a violin with the rest of the sounds made up of various vocal loops.

The album ends with "Skyship Of The Contrabandistor," a softer more straight forward rock number that eventually builds to a driving rhythm in which the guitar riffage takes over. 

Gay Paris are certainly a unique band that have merged rock, country, blues and funk to create something that people will either love or hate, there isn’t really an in-between.

1. Turns Out You’re Not A Cowgirl After All
2. Deadrie Fell’s Dog Park Blues
3. Future Wolf And The Gay Parisian Milk Incident
4. And Lo! She Behold The Pale Surgeon
5. House Fire In The Origami District
6. The Black Tooth Supper Club
7. My First Wife? She Was A Fox Queen!
8. Soliloquy From Ether Station
9. Skyship Of The Contrabandistor