Maybe I'm doing Whatfor a disservice by reviewing their song "I'm A Disgrace." After all, the brooding guitar and dissonant cello that define these two minutes of music are a marked departure from the rest of its debut album, Sooner Late Than Never.
I could have rewound this disc by two mere tracks and presented you with "I Want A Girl," a song that perfectly encapsulates the kind of '60s piano pop that dominates this album. You would have heard bright choral harmonies, charming piano melodies and plenty of percussion breaks -- those pregnant pauses that inflected the dawn of pop with bittersweet angst.
But enough about the track that isn't here. I picked "I'm A Disgrace" because more than any other song on the album from the local label By the chorus, Beth Morgan of Pale Young Gentlemen uses her cello to spread dreamy sadness, the kind Elliott Smith used to make, all over this song. For the next minute, the verse-chorus pattern repeats. Gently hopeful verses pull the song toward lightness. A cathartic chorus envelopes the listener in comforting darkness. It's the last thirty seconds of this track that make it memorable. Vocalist Michael Sienkowski starts repeating the mantra, "I'm A Disgrace" in dissonant, anguished tones, while Morgan's cello slowly but surely morphs into a siren. At its crescendo, the song rapidly disintegrates in a fit of emotional distress. Whatfor is a Sleeping in the Aviary side project, another showcase for the Sienkowski's formidable talent. Trust me, neither the track nor the album are anything close to a disgrace. An MP3 of the track is available in the related downloads at right. More songs by the band can be listened to on its MySpace page. Whatfor will host a CD release party on Friday, May 23 at the High Noon Saloon, where it will be joined by DJ Real Jaguar and an all-star lineup of Madison indie bands including Pale Young Gentlemen, His & Her Vanities, and National Beekeepers Society. MadTracks highlights and provides MP3s of songs performed by local musicians. All tracks here are provided with permission of the artist. If you are a musician based in the Madison metro area and are interested in sharing your work as a MadTrack, please send a message.
