iTunes claim that The Real Tuesday Weld is unclassifiable. Certainly the mix of 1920s style vintage sound with trip hop rhythms and cinematic strings isn't what most people are used to hearing. The closest touchstone for me is '90s one-hit wonder Lucas with the Lid Off. It's refreshing to hear a band that draws on influences from earlier than the '60s or '70s for a sound that's totally unique today.
An early highlight of the album, and probably the best example of what the band can do is "It's a Wonderful Li(f)e." A sunny pop melody is backed by a big band style horn sample, and jaunty piano on the chorus. It sounds simultaneously completely new and vintage -- not an easy achievement. It's a perfect piece of wistful pop.
"Kix" takes things further back, using what I think is a clarinet as the primary backing instrument. This, combined with a sawing fiddle line gives it a strong 1940s feel. I like the retro feel of it. I really love groups that use more instruments than just the guitar, bass and drums. Throughout they've got a varied sound, and that helps to make it a unique listen. It's precisely that the album feels so different from everything else out there that makes it fun to listen to.
The songs that fuse vintage sounds with more contemporary beats and vocal style generally work better than the straight up older stuff. "I Love London" sounds right out of the '40s, and that's not necessarily a good thing. The up tempo vintage songs work well, but these more laid back jazzy numbers don't work as well for me. I'm sure there's an audience out there who would love the song, but odds are they're not listening to a band like The Real Tuesday Weld. Who knows, though, the record certainly has enough vintage feel to capture someone who loved that music the first time around.
The album has a number of odd bridge tracks, such as "A Song for William," which is an eerie spoken word section that leads into the beautiful piano backed "Waltz For One." Ultimately, the album is at its best when it goes for emotional, dramatic sounds or upbeat stuff. It's the laid back slow jazz songs that pull things down for me. But, the album still has enough strengths to overcome its problems and I'd heartily recommend it. Gillian Anderson's a big fan of the band, and if Scully likes them, you know there's something worth listening to.
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