A hidden treasure

This is a brilliant recording through and through. For their youth, these three write remarkably mature lyrics, and the music is consistently excellent. Someone wrote below that the CD is front-loaded, and I couldn't disagree more. Musically, nearly every song is just perfect, though "Danger" is perhaps a little bland, and lyrically there are deeply moving high points from that front end (Haircut) well into the second half (e.g. the gut-wrenching "Service Fee"). There are elements of folk, rock, jazz, country and more here. I'm not sure it fits a genre, but this is very real, fresh music. Someone below criticized the songwriting by Josh Cunningham, and I think that was a bit off-base. He can get right to the heart of the matter about feelings about home (When I Die), and can write great music even when his lyrics are a bit pedantic (Lies) or sentimental (Brief History, on which he and the band sound like a reincarnated acoustic Velvet Underground). This is just a great listen. I may not have a lot to add to what's below, but this is one of the best CD's I've heard in the last year, and wanted to chime in with another good review. It's a great listen; you won't be disappointed.

The Waifs Are Almost There, But Not Quite

The Waifs are an absolutely charming trio of musicians hailing from Sydney Austrailia, which is has become an Athens for talented folk and roots music performers. Originally a "sister act" consisting of Donna and Vikki Simpson, they were joined early on by Josh Cunningham. I hesitate to use the term "folk music" to decribe them, because "folk" evokes Alan Lomax archiving tapes of obscure Appalachian ballads; or an often parodied image of the earnest bohemian strumming a guitar in a dark, smokey coffee house. The Waifs pedigree is closer to that of the Roches, the quirky and inspired trio of sisters from New York City, whose unorthodox approach appealed more to a young rock and roll sensibilty, than older traditional folk demographic. The Waifs are likley to appeal more to the backpacking generation, rather than the baby boom generation.

By Webster's definition a "waif" is homless person or a young orphan. It is also an appropriate definition for this young band. The Waifs are road warriors who have been gigging the remote areas of the Austrailian outback, the coffee houses of the American east coast, and throughout Europe for nearly ten years. The Waifs may be "homeless" from their extended world touring, but they have developed thier live performances to an art. They are not a parochial Aussie band but a band with a capabilty of of playing folk, country, rock, blues, and jazz material. "Lies" on this album has a lopping South Afican township rythym that is infectous. The composer, Josh writes music with a strong backbeat to showcase his fluid and rock oriented accousitc guitar style. Donna Simpson's songwritting is ironic and skewed ala Maggie Roche's slightly demented observations of everyday life. She is capable of great moments when she is not smirking, like the passionate torch song, "Service Fee". Vicki Simpson is the most talented songwritter and her bitterweet renderings of her sad ballads can be favorable compared Sandy Denny or Linda Thompson for the moody, autumnal and evocative quality of her vocals.

The problem with "Sink or Swim" is that the strongest tracks are front-loaded and the last three tunes by Josh were so prosaic that I found myself wondering why the Simpson sisters were so under represented as composers. Clearly, Vicki and Donna write more intresting songs, but 6 of the 11 tracks belong to Josh. With Josh, song writting is a much more "hit and miss" affair, while the Simpson sisters hit the mark everytime with their songs. As with earlier efforts, "Sink or Swim' fails to capture the Waif's fantasic live shows and their uncanny ability to connect and bond with their audience in performance. Don't let the name "Waifs" fool you, this trio of road worthy and charismatic performers never fail to capture and win the hearts of even the most jaded audiences.

A Great Listen

Most interested folks have heard Lighthouse from the most recent album Up All Night. I mentioned the band to an office mate who had Sink or Swim, and I gave a listen. I immediately really liked this album. Fresh, refreshing, eclectic, mostly acoustic, mostly really up songs. This is a really listenable collection of songs from 3 young people from Oz Down Under. Their perspectives, accents, all are really different from what we hear in the US, which makes it more interesting. These three are really good musicians and they write some interesting tunes. I think this is much more fun to listen to than Up All Night, which disappointed me after hearing Sink or Swim. If you are familiar with Lighthouse and/or Up All Night and like that album, you should get this one.