Customer Reviews

Funeral Dress

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Wussy's debut record, Funeral Dress, is born out of a place of raw emotions. This is very real stuff here, full of tales of self doubt, relationships heading south and coming to grips with one's own mortality. But it's not nearly as pretentious as it sounds, or as it could be. In fact, it's the complete opposite of that. While it may not hit you at first, with a couple of listens under your belt, you realize just what an outright rollercoaster ride this record is. Lisa Walker's voice is amazingly versatile, cooing in one song and whipping out lines with a bratty sneer the next, magically balancing the fragile falsetto of Chuck Cleaver (Ass Ponys) on several numbers. Mark Messerly (Messerly & Ewing), who is frequently billed as a "multi instrumentalist" adds layers of sound and atmosphere all while Dawn Burman pounds a steady, smooth beat in the background.

While an Ass Ponys fan would certainly be attracted to this record, and rightfully so, they should not expect it to sound the same. Ass Ponys always walked a fine line between noisy pop and roots rock, and Wussy walks a similar line, though they occasionally lose their balance and threaten falling into the noiser side of the lake. Lyrically, with the addition of another songwriter in Lisa Walker, there are differences here. There are no stories of hillbillies gone wrong, and while Ass Ponys were certainly no strangers of the melancholy (indeed, they became most famous for it) this record lacks the whimsy that the Ass Ponys at their best incorporated with their misery. Not that they're to be faulted for it. Faulting Wussy for not being the Ass Ponys is absurd. If anything they're to be commended for creating something new and different, thereby taking this new group out of the realms of the side project and planting it firmly on its own feet. Consider it a first cousin of the Ass Ponys. You can tell that they're related. They both have the same eyes, but you've got to look to see it.

That said, Funeral Dress is an exceptional debut from an exceptional group of people. Buy and enjoy it, and if you get the chance, see them live. There's something vulnerable about the band, both recorded and live that draws you in, and you willingly accept everything you're handed.

Dark humor with deeply sentimental touches, set to tuneful melodies that stick in your head, much in the vein of the Ass Ponys' (Chuck Cleaver's "other" group) better material. The main difference here is the co-vocalizing of Lisa Walker, who balances with Cleaver's voice just fine. This is good stuff; if you're a fan of Ass Ponys you'll probably like this. I sure do!

To just say Ohio drone is to sell them short. On their debut, one of the best albums of the 00s, this unlikely couple's guitars give them an edge that is a perfect fit for their fraught, hopelessly romantic state of mind - they are part of their quintessentially rural American sound, not the driving force. What puts the exuberant joy into your stomach are the lovelorn melodies and harmonies, set against the felt backdrop of small towns, wheat fields and backstreets, outdoing themselves from one instantly great song to the next.

On Record Store Day 2011 they released an acoustic version of the album, entitled Funeral Dress II, available in a limited edition through their label. Its loveliness only increases.

The addition of Lisa Walker really places Cleaver's stuff in a fresh new light...these songs are all absurdly catchy and draw you in instantly. And there is something about the mix of the two voices that's perfect and that perfectly suits the material.

The lyrics are wonderful, too, full of the great character observations that made the Ass Ponys so memorable.

Miss this one at your peril.