You might want to skip the grating psychedelic funk first track—unless that's your thing of course—but stay enthusiastically tuned in for the rest of Stickman Jones' Luxuria, an album pudding thick in sonic character and rootsy playfulness. Annie Quick has a masterful grasp of the Greenwich rock vibe, and cleaves her flirty Jill Sobule pout skillfully to ethereal, emotive vocals. Riding atop a dominant bass, erratic, peculiar percussion startle and sparkle through accordion solos, mandolin, organ, kazoo, and numerous string recipes—all instruments mixed cooperatively, focused on carrying the listener to impending choruses and in and out of sassy interludes. Great progressions, strong songwriting, smart lyrics, and more personality and creativity than you can shake a glockenspiel at. Worth checking out just for the wonderful a capella work on the haunting, story-driven "Edna," and consistently enjoyable throughout.
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Michial FarmerFrom the wah-wah'd opening notes of "You Will," Luxuria makes it evident that Stickman Jones is not the same band that made last year's brilliant folk-pop album Blinding Bright. Oh, the personnel is still the same--vocalist Annie Quick, guitarist David Sachs, accordion player Rob Curto, drummer Ethan Hartshorn, and bassist Jad Mintum. But the five of them have, together, sharpened their pop…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Tommy JollyStickman Jones shouldn't need an introduction. This band should have been signed and had several mainstream radio hits a long time ago. On their latest independent CD, New York City's Stickman Jones goes for a pop sound reminiscent of Sixpence None the Richer and Over the Rhine, with a romantic lyrical approach reminiscent of C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald. The first verse of "Cooler" might…
