Sugarplum Fairies

The last time I wrote about a band from Austria, it was a bunch of knuckleheads with cellphones attached to cardboard cutouts of instruments. This time though I'm truly obsessing over this duo from Vienna called Sugarplum Fairies. I think I've listened to their album Country International Records about ten times this weekend. Going to bed. Driving in the car. Working in the yard. Sitting at the computer. Cleaning the kitchen. Over and over again. I love the damn thing.

The most obvious comparison is to Mazzy Star due to Silvia Ryder's vocals. I was never a huge Mazzy Star fan but I definitely carried a heavy-duty boy crush on Hope Sandoval for a long time. So, I like Ryder's sexy breathy vocals. Musically, there is a little bit of everything thrown in there. The main driver is an acoustic guitar but there are plenty of atmospheric electronic sounds with a handful of trumpets and keys thrown in there. The album was recorded in Nashville which makes sense since the disc is a warm blend of American alt-country guitar/horns/keys and European style.

I may regret this next line in a few months but I think if I had bought this album a few months ago, it would have been one of my favorite discs of the year. Even their cover of U2's "All I Want Is You" has grown on me. At first, I thought is was waaay too heavily tilted to their self-serious Euro-stylized atmosphere. But after hearing it a boatload of times this weekend, I'm a goober for it.

By the way, Sugarplum Fairies have moved to L.A. So, there may be a good chance of catching them live in the US in 2007.

One last note, there is a band from Sweden called Sugarplum Fairy (singular). That's a completely different band and one I'm guessing our Sugarplum Fairies would like to see choke on a meatball.

Sugarplum Fairies | Velcro Girl | Buy
Sugarplum Fairies | I'm Just Fine | Buy
Sugarplum Fairies | All I Want Is You | Buy