Bridge City Sinners - self-titled

 

I am a newcomer to the BCS - my lovely wife turned me on to them due to a friend saying that her banjolele playing reminded them of the Sinners - but just had a chance to see them at Punk Rock Bowling this past weekend and picked up a couple of their CD's to further explore their sounds.

I do not know how long they have been around (the info on their Facebook page is a bit sparse), but they have 84000 followers, so I assume they have been making music for a little while! This appears to be their debut - its sleeve only lists the songs, no other info at all - and while the singer/banjolele-ist is obviously the same and she seems to be backed by stand-up bass, banjo, guitar (maybe/maybe not - kinda hard to tell in the mix, actually), but the fiddle that was the lead instrument in the live act is primarily replaced by a clarinet here (except for the uncredited 9th track on the CD). The feel is the same, overall - a kinda 20's/30's crooner/old-timey music (sorta similar in a way to what R. Crumb does) but with more of a darker, punk ethos and often with sin-inspired lyrics. Quite a number of current musicians are mining similar territory these days (even I was in a band with the same concept for a few years), but the Sinners do add some originality and the singer has a fine voice that fits in thematically, although she'll add a punky sneer'n'growl now'n'again to balance out her old-timey croon.

Here they open with "St. James Infirmary" (funnily enough, a song that we covered in the aforementioned band that I was in) and do a good job of making it their own (is that a saw towards the end?!). This is followed by a goofy novelty song sung in a little girl voice, "Pussy Cat", that's silly enough, but not much of substance. "Come On In" is less overtly frivolous but quite flirtatious and is a fun, bouncy 20's-styled, lascivious come on, while "Laugh While You Can" continues in the same upbeat musical groove, but with almost a pirate flair with the "ya ha ha ha ha's"! "Stray Cat Strut" (yes, that song) actually works stylistically, due to the chord progression being fairly universal, and one of the guys gets to sing lead for "I Wanna Be Like You", another bit of Dixielandish/Cab Calloway-ish bounce, then the wuper-fast-paced "Dungeon Song" is basically punk/pirate (kinda similar to GoGo Bordello, in a way) before returning to a sorta/kinda quieter croon in "Satan's Song" and the finale is uncredited on the sleeve, so I dunno the title, but it sounds a bit more like the current band, complete with violin in place of the clarinet and a bit more brashness in the vocals - really good one, tho with melodic hints of "Minnie the Moocher" (at least to my ears)!

Like I say, although they are influenced by old-time toons, they are adding a bit of punk edge along with their personal, slightly Satanic style to it all. Good stuff!