Well, the world might tomorrow, but at least I'm finally getting around to checking out the new Heart Bones LP today. The fresh spankin' project from A Giant Dog singer, songwriter, general fabulous person with a lot of personality Sabrina Ellis, and Sean Tillmann, sex symbol at the center of Har Mar Superstar. They came together as collaborators out of mutual respect for each other's talents, but the more they mashed their brain babies together, the more they realized that they were on to something. Borrowing a little salt and a little smoke from Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, a dash of snuff and a little twist lemon from Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin, and cutting out a parodic wedge of sexual tension from between Sonny & Cher (or was it Sam & Dave?), they've brewed a vat of love balm that only the most committed of misanthropic loaners would be loath to drawn. There are moments on their debut Hot Dish that land less gracefully than others (some of the very late '00s cribbing material is particularly tired sounding), but when these cuts hit, they devastate your heart and lift your spirits in the way only a great love fastened duet can. "Open Relations" boosts some particularly convincing and humorous performances depicting a love triangle between the leads and an unnamed third woman, where Tillman serves as both the adjacent side of the formation, and general doormat. A retro-future disco derby circles around the island of affection that rises out of the middle of "Little Dancer," and the electro doo-wop revival of "Dashboard" will take you back to a point in time when your life stretched so far out in front of you that it cleaved the horizon like a toothpick in a balloon. More than any other track, "I Like Your Way" is probably the best amalgamation of the two artist's styles, pulled along by some strange, sexy grooves (Tillman), and anchored by obtusely grounded and latently melancholy songwriting touching on out collective longing for fulfillment (Ellis). Make not mistake, Hot Dish is hot shit!
Get a copy via their website here.
