DITTY BOPS: Wishful thinking

DITTY BOPS: MOON OVER THE FREEWAY

THE DITTY BOPS
Purveying an utterly charming sound that borrows from folk, pop, Western swing, and early vocal jazz, Los Angeles' fancifully named Ditty Bops feature the tightly woven harmonies of Amanda Barrett (who also handles mandolin and dulcimer duties) and Abby DeWald (who also plays guitar). Though Barrett and DeWald met in New York City in the late '90s, they didn't begin playing music until they moved back to California. Barrett spent her childhood in Topanga and learned to play fretted dulcimer when she was six, then moved to Europe to model as a teen before moving to New York in her early twenties. DeWald, meanwhile, grew up in northern California and took piano lessons as a child; growing up in a house where only classical was played, she nevertheless developed a fascination with ragtime music and electric blues. A stint in a band that played '20s covers in period costumes inspired the duo to make the Ditty Bops just as theatrical, if not as strictly traditional: puppet shows,
illustrations, and fancy dresses and wigs give their live shows a hint of cabaret. The Ditty Bops were discovered by Warner Bros. at one of their shows in the L.A. area; after signing to the label, they released their self-titled, Mitchell Froom-produced debut album. Late that year, the group toured the U.S. with the equally theatrical Dresden Dolls and Count Zero. In 2006 the Ditty Bops' sophomore album, Moon Over the Freeway, came out, accompanied by a nationwide bicycle tour.
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ALBUM REVIEV
It's always interesting when "old-timey" music is interpreted by modern players.
Sometimes, the traditions are kept tightly intact, guarded like secrets between best friends, while other times they're more like paper boxes, poked and torn at from the inside with broken guitar strings and fingernails so that other styles can stream in. In the case of Abby DeWald and Amanda Barrett of the Ditty Bops, their sophomore album, Moon Over the Freeway, falls nicely somewhere between the two extremes. The music is heavily influenced by Western swing and Andrews Sisters-type harmonies, but there are also hints of tango, '60s pop, and classical, as well as a strong dose of indie rock. DeWald and Barrett (who play the guitar and the mandolin, respectively) both have clear, strong voices that blend well into one another, which adds a kind of sincerity to their quirky, innocent lyrics. Their songs meander about from topic to topic, pausing briefly at over-inflated egos, love, and irreverence with help from a Greg Rutledge-played piano that sounds like it's straight out of a saloon, an insightful upright bass, and plenty of swing. The words are simple, yet smart and insightful. They explore ironies of urbanization ("We'll frolic in the pesticidy
grass beneath the smog/Don't got to worry about beestings, don't got to worry about ants/Now's the time to take off our shoes and dance that cartoon dance" in the lap steel country number "Waking Up in the City") and a hurried life ("What are we really rushing towards/Don't ask me that, get out the door" in the fiddle-driven "Get Up 'n' Go") without ever coming across as cynical, or even necessarily opposed to what's happening. Because DeWald and Barrett are observers, not critics, and they're just trying to enjoy what's around them and what their lives are without being ignorant or unaware. And for the Ditty Bops that means tight harmonies, quick rhythms, a little humor, and a lot of swing.
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MINHA OPINIÃO
Amanda Barrett e AbbydeWald são duas meninas da Califórnia que, na mesma onde de nostalgia que deu origem às Puppini Sisters, Sisters Swing, Doodlin´etc., foram se inspirar nos sons da "vintage" era. Mas fizeram diferente: enquanto as concorrentes adotavam o mesmo visual, o mesmo repertório e até mesmo os arranjos, as DITTY BOPS compõem suas próprias canções e ampliam o universo de estilos, que vai do swing ao folk, passando pelo "western" até o tango. Os duetos são muito bem urdidos, em intervalos de terças e sextas e sua performance, com roupas espalhafatosas e chamativas, relembra o "vaudeville", o "cabaret. Tudo muito lúdico, agradável aos olhos e ouvidos. As meninas são ótimas e muito competentes não só como vocalistas mas como musicistas. MARAVILHA!

ALBUM - DITTY BOPS: Moon over the Freeway
Label: Warner Bros.
Year: 2006

DITTY BOPS
Amanda Barrett
Abby deWald

TRACKS/FAIXAS
1 Moon Over the Freeway (Barrett/DeWald) 3:15
2 Angel with an Attitude (Barrett/DeWald) 2:31
3 Fall Awake (Barrett/DeWald) 3:40
4 Aluminum Can (Barrett/DeWald) 3:28
5 Fish to Fry (Barrett/DeWald) 3:08
6 In the Meantime (Barrett/DeWald) 2:39
7 It's a Shame (Barrett/DeWald) 2:18
8 Waking Up in the City (Barrett/DeWald) 3:15
9 Growing Upside Down (Barrett/DeWald) 2:48
10 Get Up 'n' Go (Barrett/DeWald) 2:12
11 Bye Bye Love (Bryant/Bryant) 2:33
12 Nosy Neighbor (Barrett/DeWald) 3:04
13 Your Head's Too Big (Barrett/DeWald) 2:33

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