Mary Lou Lord
"Self-titled" CD (Kill Rock Stars)
The first track is a lovely, mid-tempo swoon-pop rush describing the romance of the open road and empty space ahead, to the sides and behind. Sure, it's a Bevis Frond tune (in fact, most of these songs, 5 out of 8 to be specific, are covers), but Lord puts a distinctive busking stamp on them, just her and a guitar. They're touching, soothing. It's like being wrapped in cotton and having someone brush your hair back from your forehead as you shiver from the aftermath of a fever. I think I'm in love.
"Martian Saints" CD EP (Kill Rock Stars)
Waif-folk, with a dash of indie-rock thrown in. Much like the Bevis Frond cover which kicked off the last release she put out on KRS, the title cut is a breathy, sensual rush of warm guitar-pop. It's hard to tell what, if anything, it's "about," yet it seems to use abduction by aliens as a metaphor for recovering from a lover's departure. What can I say to that? Beam me up.