The Tunnel of Love
Fury Town
Glorious Alchemical Co

Jeff Wagner is the Tunnel of Love. He seems to have been reared on an unhealthy diet of Cramps, Tom Waits and sick, twisted carnival dwarfs. His new album is resplendent with hollered vocals, seasick tempos and cheap liqueur. (probably).

"Drop Dead Delilah" would make Lux Interior proud. Wagner's lusty vocal and the cheap-sounding production are a joy to hear. "The Blackness" is as Goth as anything you'll hear. Wagner's lo-fi esthetic and good spirit carry him through it nicely. I'm being obvious for suggesting it belongs in Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride 2: A Zombie Honeymoon. "Good Advice" is a persuasive song, with a creepy undertow. Wagner has cast himself as sly seducer and devil's advocate at once. Musically it proves that psychobilly isn't dead, it just smells very odd. "Bordello Song" lives up to its title, and is sleazy as hell, with saloon piano and a perverted vocal. Wagner's a twisted kind of genius.

Copyright © 2006 Anna Maria Stjärnell