Album Notes

I don't know if Redcoat Turncoat's debut CD How Do You Feel About Long Goodbyes? is actually a concept album about a bunny rabbit and its hunter, but I like to think that it is. The gently strummy "The Ballad of Baby Bunny"—with its muttered, Kurt Wagner-ish vocals—obviously fits the plot, and the ominous "The Collector," with its slashing chorus of "I'm gonna hunt you down" (voiced by Kusikia's Nsayi Matingo), sounds like it's sung with rifle in hand. Elsewhere, there's Kinks-y pop tunes, meandering guitar ballads, and a 12-minute epic in the form of the shoegazey "OK." It's a weird and charming record, with all the different pieces fitting together like a hodgepodge, and its best moments are the simplest ones that fit into the overall theme. It's almost like a sloppier, homegrown version of the Magnetic Fields' highbrow tunesmithing, and it leads directly to the very important question: Well, what do these guys sound like live? Tonight's the perfect opportunity to find out.
NED LANNAMANN
Portland Mercury