As I write this, the Brooklyn-based band My Cousin, The Emperor is playing at the South By Southwest music industry showcase in Austin, Texas. Although a lot of people I know are there, and some may even be in the audience for MCTE, I’m not. I keep telling myself, one of these years I’ll go, but it didn’t happen this year.
For consolation, I have the catchy music on My Cousin, The Emperor’s new 10-song collection called The Subway EPs. Although it’s a single disc, the conceit here is that it is two separate five-song sets. Vol. 1 is titled Prospect Park West, and Vol. 2 is Broadway-Lafayette. They’re named after the two main subway stops between singer-songwriter Jason Reischel’s Brooklyn home and Manhattan.
The first is a little more folky, a little bit more country-influenced, and the second, while still audibly influenced by alt-country, leans more toward plugged-in indie-rock.
“Southern Nights,” nestled smack dab in the middle of Prospect Park West, is a fast country shuffle with lots of nimble acoustic and electric fingerpicking, some steel guitar, a railroad snare rhythm, lyrics about Nashville and other points south, and sweet harmonies from the freak-folk singer who goes by Jaymay. That may also be her backing vocals on just about every track of Vol. 1, including the catchy acoustic opener “Burly Old Couch,” the cello-mellow ballad “Somedays” and the mid-tempo shuffle “Lies End.” A whole string quartet sweetens the sad country waltz that ends the first set of five songs, “Annie (The Levee Song).”
Vol. 2 also ends with a waltz, “Early Morning Snow,” which has country-style harmonies from two male voices — possibly Reischel double-tracked — but this one turns into an Uncle Tupelo-like rocking waltz during the second verse, and has some gnarly guitar duels between Reischel and lead guitarist Terry Quire. But before we get there, there’s the ’70s country-rock sound and gospel vibe of “Down N Out,” with lots of Fender Rhodes and some Neil Young-influenced guitar; the sunny soulful folk-rock of “Nothing Left For Us to Find”; the reggae-like “It’s All Over Now”; and the vocally and instrumentally hook-laden indie-pop of “Goodbye,” sort of a Brooklyn-based Gin Blossoms sound.
My Cousin, The Emperor’s sound is anchored by Michael Feinberg on bass and Danny Wolf on drums, both of whose jazz backgrounds come out more on Broadway-Lafayette. The whole affair is nicely produced and recorded, its clear, clean sound and crisp separation adding to the sunny, upbeat vibe. These young musicians obviously know where they’re coming from, and where they’re going is anybody’s guess.
Download the full track of “Nothing Left For Us To Find” from Broadway-Lafayette. You can stream The Subway EPs on the band’s Bandcamp page or download a live set at the band’s own Web site.
(Self-released, 2011)
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