Edit history

Like the best of The Talking Heads', The Folding Chairs have expertly found that rare, perfect marriage of content and eccentricity. Their work marks a clear interest in humor. It's an interest with an admirable dedication to crafting a very distinct storyteller-persona in their lyrics. What makes this even better is how breathlessly the songs refuse to stop there. The music wonderfully enhances the visual qualities of the songs themselves. This is done instead of simply leaving the music to act as something that only keeps the background moving along, as is often the case with lyrics as brilliant as these. An artist who knows how clever they are with the words often thinks this gives them a free pass on the music. Richard O'Donnell's mandolin figures prominently into the group's unique musical schemes. There are also some fascinating, satisfying contributions from the banjo, the bass guitar, drums and certainly in Brenton Rossow's unique vocal range. Never settling, it goes from