Granfaloon Bus - Lucky Curtains
by Geraint Jones
published: 4 / 12 / 2003
Label:
Glitterhouse Records
Format: CD
intro
Stunning final album from the recently dissolved Granfaloon Bus that combines Americana with psychedelia-inflicted arrangements
Not conceived as such at the time of recording, but after 13 years together, San Franciscan’s, Granfaloon Bus’ seventh album, ‘Lucky Curtains’ is in fact their last, the band having recently announced their amicable dissolution, just a few month’s after its release. Which is a pity. Although I’d been aware of their existence for some time I only picked up my first Granfaloon Bus album, a copy of their 1999 release, ‘Good Funeral Weather’, quite recently. ‘Lucky Curtains’ draws (sorry!) their tenure to a close on a high note though. Fronted by Felix Costanza, who is planning to continue as a solo artist, his oddly undulating vocals and often ambiguous lyrics form the core of Granfaloon Bus. Wrapped in woozy Americana meets psychedelia-inflected arrangements, some of Costanza’s lines can’t help but peek out perceptively in isolation, even when you’re not necessarily paying attention too closely – “We do our own stunts, Knowing where the falls come from” from ‘There’s A Sugar Museum’, one of the album’s standout cuts, being a prime example. ‘Lucky Curtains’ is one of those all too rare albums: one that you can listen to again and again often hearing something anew, musically or lyrically. It may not be immediate but it’s never less than intriguing. Granfaloon Bus are, or sadly were, a distinctive musical entity, the type of band, that while not to everyone’s taste - otherwise they would have undoubtedly survived for longer – who were rarely cherished as much as they deserved, but ironically are often lamented by more than ever noticed them in the first place. So why not give ‘Lucky Curtains’ a go. It might be too late for Granfaloon Bus, but whether or not Felix Costanza’s supposedly planned name for his solo project – Slighter – is an in-joke or not, I’m sure some grounds for optimism wouldn’t go amiss. He deserves the recognition and you get a good album out of it. Sounds fair to me.
Track Listing:-
1 Beggar Fatique2 There's A Sugar Museum
3 Scum Of The Earth (Part 1: A Place To Crash)
4 Scum Of The Earth (Part 2: The Drone)
5 Silent Mayhem Dreams
6 House
7 Plucked
8 Lucky Curtains
9 Untitled
Label Links:-
http://label.glitterhouse.com/https://www.facebook.com/GlitterhouseRecords
https://twitter.com/glitterhouserec
https://www.youtube.com/user/GlitterhouseTV
most viewed articles
current edition
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #15- On Being Dignified and Old aka Ten Tips From Jah Wobble On How To Be Happy.Dennis Tufano - Copernicus Center, Chicago, 19/7/2024
Elliott Murphy - Interview
Wreckless Eric - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #16: Living in the Minds of Strangers
Adrian Gurvitz - Interview
In Dreams Begin Responsibilities - #17: Tom Robinson
Norman Rodger - Interview
Chris Spedding - Interview
Penumbra - Interview
most viewed reviews
current edition
Groovy Uncle - Making ExcusesPhilip Parfitt - The Dark Light
Hawkestrel - Chaos Rocks
Jules Winchester - The Journey
Deep Purple - =1
Bill Wyman - Drive My Car
Ross Couper Band - The Homeroad
Popstar - Obscene
John Murry and Michael Timmins - A Little Bit of Grace and Decay
Splashgirl and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe - More Human
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart