"dollhouse man / has a fisher price face / lilywhite grin in a cartoon case / steely blue eyes / and a "pull me" lace / talkin' bout his fisher price face..."
The genteel absurdist embrace of "Dollhouse Man", by Seattle singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Brian Noyes, had me gladly falling after the first few lines, "dollhouse man / has a fisher price face / lilywhite grin in a cartoon case / steely blue eyes / and a "pull me" lace / talkin' bout his fisher price face". Conceptually, it is brilliant, adorable, smart and time transporting and had me thinking of various songs and artists like The Kinks' Mr. Pleasant (1967) or Dedicated Follower of Fashion (1965) and even Paul and Linda McCartney's Monkberry Moon Delight in terms of it's kick and kitsch whether it jabs you (or not) from a social commentary pov. I also think of a band many of you might not know about, namely, Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club and iconic artists like Sparks and Devo, XTC and MGMT as well. It must be wonderful to see the world in interesting colors.
Amazing track and my introduction to Brian. I look forward into delving into his new upcoming latest record "Seelie Court".
LINER NOTES (bracketed):
Oh and the Official Video for "Dollhouse Man" is delightfully bent.
LYRICS
dollhouse man
has a fisher price face
lilywhite grin in a cartoon case
steely blue eyes
and a "pull me" lace
talkin' bout his fisher price face
dollhouse man got a ouija board wife
guides his hand
and holds the scythe
manley p. hall in another life
gotta love his ouija board wife
play doh eggs: florentine
tiny tea cup of darjeeling
send it up the dumb waiter
with his silly putty newspaper
bubble pipe and felt slippers
oooooh dollhouse man!
dollhouse man does the slinky dog shake
all wound up from the pills he takes
he's overcooked in his easy bake
doin' that slinky dog shake
dollhouse man of lincoln log lane
brilliant technicolor rain
falls from skies of cellophane
livin' on lincoln log lane
pancake make of plasticine
thimble cup of grenadine
flipping through his view master
at faces which he thought he knew
places where he once went to
oooohhhhhh dollhouse man!
-Robb Donker Curtius
+ + +
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://briannoyes.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/brian.noyes.songs/
Brian Noyes is a Seattle, Washington based singer-songwriter. He is a member of the psych pop group Tomten and also performs as a touring keyboardist for San Francisco band Papercuts. Influenced by the likes of The Clientele, Duncan Browne, John Cale, and Vashti Bunyan, Noyes' self-titled debut album is “a well-crafted collection of psych-tinged baroque-pop. With a warm and dreamy sound, the album showcases instruments such as Mellotron, piano, nylon string guitar, synths, flute, sax, violin, and cello.” - KEXP
Noyes worked with producer Jason Quever (Papercuts, Cass McCombs, and Beach House) in Los Angeles and with Andy Meyer and Nicholas Wilbur at The Unknown in Anacortes, Washington. The single "Knowing" is a wurlitzer-driven ballad featuring 12-string guitar, mellotron, and celeste, while the darker B-side, "Doomsday," pairs nylon guitar with a midi-controlled pipe organ. Through his music, Brian Noyes establishes himself as an artist with a distinct sound, blending elements of psych folk, baroque pop, and introspective songwriting.
No comments:
Post a Comment