Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I wrote about The Green Pajamas in a post on a Paisley Underground anthology box set—and thanks to random selection, here they are again. That compilation featured their early cult favorite “Kim the Waitress”; this time, we get “The Waitress at the Old White Lion.” (Really, does Jeff Kelly have some kind of waitress fixation?) This track is a tender ballad, built on gently strummed acoustic guitar, piano, and soft female backing vocals. It recalls early Pink Floyd pieces like “If” and “Green Is the Colour.” That same ’60s-tinged acoustic vibe runs through “Softly, Elizabeth,” “Would You Even Say Hello,” and “Spinning Away,” while “French to Japanese” adds a dash of McCartney-style pop charm with its old-fashioned jazzy piano. The lyrics, as in the excellent “Moorland Ghost,” often draw on the Gothic supernatural fiction of Wilkie Collins and Edgar Allan Poe, while musically the album leans toward British acid folk. It nevertheless doesn’t stay in that pastoral mode for long. Much of it expands into fuller arrangements that nudge things toward ’90s alternative rock—not grunge, but something closer to fellow Seattleites The Walkabouts. Drums and fuzzed-out bass and electric guitar appear often, most notably on the upbeat title track and garage rocker “Matilda,” while “Something’s Gone Wrong” even flirts with funk, complete with soulful bass and horns. “Downslide” stands out as an outlier: with Laura Weller’s vocals and electric guitar at the forefront, it resembles the goth/shoegaze sound of The Cranes. Elsewhere, “Sweet 16” plays it relatively straight as a pop tune, “Sweet Moth/36 Envelopes” drifts into darker territory, and “The Wave (It’s Becoming Very Clear)” closes things out with a neat trick—revisiting the opening lyrics but swapping fuzz guitars for something grander and more orchestral. The CD booklet includes enchanting original artwork by Susanne Kelly (the singer’s wife), along with lyrics and medieval woodcut prints. All in all, this is one of the most accessible albums from the incredibly prolific Jeff Kelly. By blending Paisley Underground neo-psychedelia with his fascination for Elizabethan folk and Gothic literature, he has carved out a distinctive, idiosyncratic style—one that should appeal to fans of Peter Hammill, Robyn Hitchcock, or Paul Roland.
**** for This Is Where We Disappear, Softly Elizabeth, The Moorland Ghost, French To Japanese, Matilda, Something's Gone Wrong, Spinning Away, Sweet Moth / 36 Envelopes, Downslide, The Wave (It's Becoming Very Clear)
*** for Secret Circle, Would You Even Say Hello, The Waitress At The Old White Lion, Sweet 16, Wild Desire