Sugarplum Fairies CD Review
Sugarplum Fairies
Country International Records
(Starfish)
Austrian duo Sugarplum Fairies aided by ex-Wilco man Ken Coomer craft Hapsburg-country.
Silvia Ryder and Ben Bohm aren’t on the same page, though they’re both reading the same book. While Ryder’s vocals suggest she skips from sad part to sad part, multi-instrumentalist Bohm crafts capable Americana along a more varied arc, choosing warm major and minors (“Not Smart At All”) or angles of Delgados-esque mope pop (“Velcro Girl”) as it suits Ryder’s nuances. The only disconcerting thing about Country International Records is how quickly it moves from one song to the next despite moving at a laggard’s pace. Given how easily her mistakes come to Ryder’s lyrics, perhaps it’s best not to dwell on such things.
— Kevin Keegan
Click here to stream a Real Audio sample of “Velcro Girl.”
