On their new album Small Comforts Philadelphia based indie band The Chairman Dances makes a case for appreciation the little things that are taken for granted. Eric Krewson, the band's songwriter, wondered if he could use a couple of short stories and poems had written as the core for the new songs. It was a challenging task to transfer them to music and chances are that there was a bit of editing involved to make it work. The title track was inspired by To a Poor Old Woman, a poem by William Carlos Williams, who battles loneliness by treating herself to a tasty plum. Old age is also the subject of the album's first track, Alone at Waverly, written from the perspective of a widower who can count on a woman named Betty calling him every day to check upon in.
Krewson describes working from home in both A Year Spent Floating wherein he logs in to join and meeting and comes full circle to end it with the final track, the short Logoff. Musically, the band has scaled things down a bit, going for a more folk-tinged instead and foregoing the fully orchestrated approach of their previous albums. This less-and-more modus operandi has worked out quite well, giving each member a chance to pitch in with a few choice notes, a lick or a fill.
The Chairman Dances:
Eric Krewson: vocals, guitar, harpsichord, electric piano (track 1), mellotron (1), drums and
percussion (4), bass (4), synth (4), piano (6), second electric piano (6)
Dan Comly: piano, electric piano, synth, mellotron
Ashley Cubbler: vocals
Anna Dausman: vocals
Will Schwarz: electric and upright bass
Mike Szekely: drums
Small Comforts is released via Starry Rubric. Buy it from their website.
Tracks:- Alone at Waverly
- A Year Spent Floating
- Everything Slant
- Small Comforts
- Margaret
- The Day's Length
- Log Off
HCTF review of The Strength Of Your Arm.