Piney Gir ‘Geronimo’ – album review

Piney Gir “Geronimo!”
Damaged Goods Records (DAMGOOD 37)
CD//DL ”“ Available 24th October 2011

Listen to this album alone ”“ not because there is anything wrong with the album, far from it; listen alone to save embarrassment as it will cause you to regress back to those moments in your childhood when you sat clutching your knees tight under your chin whilst still tapping your feet, to those moments when you span your arms like some possessed windmill”¦

”˜Geronimo’ is the fifth full-length album from Texan ex-pat Piney Gir; real name Angela Penhaligon, though on this occasion she chose to record the album in Hollywood under the careful watch of producer Rob Campanello of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Penhaligon has previously issued more country tinged records – her usual band are known as The Country Roadshow however on ”˜Geronimo’ she chose a pool of musicians including members of Brian Wilson’s band no less; such is the esteem that Piney Gir is currently held in.

During the course of ”˜Geronimo’ Penhaligon ably demonstrates her love for pure and simple 60’s pop, but a skewed pop showing her knowledge of perhaps ”˜Safe As Milk’ period Beefheart; which with her select backing band she has been fully able to immerse herself within.
Album opener ”˜Outta Sight’ as a pacey paean to churlish love, but its on ”˜Here’s Looking At You’ that the full impact of these hook laden melodies will really take effect ”“ you are catapulted back to a time of black & white movies, clean fresh faced teens doing the ”˜mashed potato’ at the high school bop.

Gir’s country roots are still evident, particularly on the mournful ”˜The Gift’ complete with brass section well to the fore, however this album shows how easily, and successfully she is able to move from genre to genre. What Penhaligon has created is an album firmly entrenched in the 60’s, but an album that draws from a cornucopia of styles, mixes them all together and makes a sound relevant now.
This works particularly well during both ”˜River Song’ with its driving bass topped with a fiddle sound that evokes feelings of a whiskey fuelled square dance, especially as Piney describes herself as “just a girl from Kansas City” and ”˜Let’s Get Silly’ which clocks in at just a minute and a half; yet in that limited time you are remembering scenes from 50’s musical westerns ”“ rows of puritan women with starched aprons dancing with dolly washers!

With a title like ”˜Say Goodbye’ this track could only be the albums closer, and for the send off Piney seems to have gone all Mexican upon us, imagine if you shambled into some dust swept cantina, this would be the sound track of the house band whose line-up included a washed out trumpet player still playing laments to a lost love.

Glorious”¦

Piney will be doing some special London gigs around the release date:

27th October Village Green @ The Betsey Trotwood, London
29th October Launch party @ The Shortwave Cinema, London
5th November Bonfire Night @ The Borderline, London
8th December DJ set at the Buffalo Bar, London