By Keith Walsh
On the second album of the highly imaginative Kinnery Of Lupercalia trilogy, Slim Cessna’s Auto Club delivers a powerful, multi-layered narrative packed with commentary about the paradoxes of cultural inheritance and clan tribalism. And that’s just the thematic content. Kinnery Of Lupercalia; Buell Legion features eight tracks of daring instrumentation created using an array of traditional and found sound sources in mix of country, folk and experimental that can be aptly described as gothic folk.
The uniqueness of that moniker is spot on, when the lyrical content and sonic concept is considered. Starting with part one of the trilogy, 2022’s Kinnery Of Lupercalia; Undelivered Legion, the team of Munly J. Munly (vocals, various instruments) and Slim Cessna (vocals, various instruments), brought their strange mix of genres and sociological themes. George Cessna (baritone bass) joined for the new album, with Andrew Warner (drums) and Rebecca Vera (pedal steel, keyboards) along with Dwight Pentacost (instruments, mixing), all skillfully weaving musical tales about our cultural inheritances, from the legacies of faith, of sin, to the all too inadequate efforts at creating and maintaining societal harmony. Indeed, the very concept of Lupercalia, explored previously in the fiction of Munly, comes from a festival in ancient Rome, with origins in the celebration of the wolf that suckled that nation’s alleged founders, Romulus and Remus.
Idealistic Concerns
Ancient worlds are very much present on both albums: the first seven tracks of Kinnery Of Lupercalia; Undelivered Legion are titled with names similar to Hebrew tribes, along with a treacherous lover (“Mattie”) and 20th century Cambodian dictator (“Polpot”), while the final track, “Scarebeast’ presents a narrative by a self-appointed visionary who offers to purge the community of evil. The brand-new album, Kinnery Of Lupercalia; Buell Legion is populated with caricatures of communal conflict, with protagonists revealing idealistic concerns for salvation in the face of potential apocalypse, as on the opening track “Boucher,” in which a misunderstanding over pronunciation becomes an unfortunate stigma. The second track, “Cesaré,’ conflates the toils of labor, with nation building and the impending judgement day against a theatrical scene in the verses and an anthemic chorus. As strange as this may seem, there are strong classic Disney animation vibes in the enthusiastic performances here, particularly in the vocals.
The third track, “Easter,” features vocal melodies and harmonies inspired by medieval and renaissance chants, with appropriate string tones that might be a dulcimer, lute or banjo. The tragic “Harris” metaphorically describes a ruler and his abused subjects, in this case, rabbits he has raised, as a cautionary tale about the dangers of absolute power. Forever playing with language, on the next song, “Ichnabod,” Slim Cessna presents a jaunty ditty with woodblocks in the verses and a raging chorus about a fool’s surrender to pleasure.
“Lessing” mixes simple balladry with punk rock choruses and country inflections in a tale about brotherhood. “Munly Munly,” with new wave vocals, drums and pulsing bass, and strange, compelling guitar work, and an exultant chorus satirizes the appeal of celebrities and political figures.
“If you find heaven/If find heaven/if you find heaven/has turned you away/follow my brethren/follow my brethren/follow my brethren/who’ll light the way.”
From “Lessing,” by Slim Cessna’s Auto Club
“Tosspa & Tosspa’s Twin” has an exaggerated glam goth vocal in the verses with a country rock chorus, in a morose musical setting with pounding drums and a warning worthy of a southern tent revival evangelist. It’s a strangely weird end to this second volume of musical tales documenting the heroic struggle against worldly woes in a dramatic musical and literary format.
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club are working out of Denver Colorado, releasing their first album, a self-titled collection, in 1995. Kinnery Of Lupercalia; Buell Legion was recorded and mixed by Dwight Pentacost. The band completed a tour of Europe in June, and from August to October will bring their shows to venues from Missouri to California. For more info, visit Slim Cessna’s Auto Club Official Website.
(Featured band image by Oliva Baker)
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