Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements

Experimental popsters with panache toward the hurly burly musical production of show tunes and Broadway, the Parenthetical Girls offer up the majestic pomp of classic pop twisted to a modern aesthetics. Here, instruments are returned to their emotional capabilities. Just listen to the track “Unmentionables”. From the heavenly lushness of a violin’s vibrato, to the street carnival bounce of tuba and trombone's fat sliding voice or the dream-like wonderment caused by the glockenspiel's endless twinkling, all this noise is laced up within this one song to dramatic and invigorating effect. This is the baroque-pop of Andrew Bird, and though it tends to lean more toward Cabaret zaniness than MGM sophistication, its grandeur can never be questioned. And when the song writing carries the poetic literary heft of “The Former” as its twist with sexual tension accented by angelic choral harmonies and a rising unison of strings, it’s as cinematic as any stage production.