Search - Chris Leo's Vague Angels :: Sunny Day I Caught Tintarella di Luna for a picnic at the cemetery

The wondering minstrel has reappeared again with, oddly, his most palatable record yet. The further out Chris Leo gets as a character (last we heard he was in Mexico writing a book about a "wordless letter"), the more concerned he seems to be with making music we can actually tap our feet to. Don't get us wrong, the lyrics are as elaborately interfused as ever, verse/chorus/verse is still a fleeting gift at best, and he can't help but speak/sing the words the way only he can but there are glimmers of some normalcy here. First of all, he recorded this album with actual bands rather than the one man drunken show making his rounds around whatever toys were in the studio that day we're used to (and many of us love). These are bands he'd toured with a band from Barcelona, a band from Puglia, and a band from Brooklyn and the songs congeal like these musicians have seen some nights together. Secondly, he finally feels comfortable with who he is, what he does, where his place here is. This allows the elements in each song to fall just where they're supposed to. These songs aren't forced, they sit comfortably in his discomfort; it's almost more disconcerting. But most startling we swear if you listen carefully you might actually hear him sing sometimes. That's right, sing. In fact, you may even hear a falsetto or two. This is the album where Chris Leo picks up new fans, let's hope that doesn't send him running deeper into oblivion. The cover art was painted by Gibb Slife, Les Savy Fav's former guitar player.