Pale Young Gentlemen, Black Forest (Tra La La)

Pale Young Gentlemen was founded in 2004 by brothers Michael and Matt Reisenauer, and has grown steadily over the last few years both in body count and musical range. Today, the critically acclaimed Wisconsinites travel as a seven-piece ensemble and make good use of a variety of instruments, including the viola, cello, and piano, in addition to the traditional guitar, bass, and percussion. Veering away from overplayed indie music-by-numbers and tangling American roots music with Eastern European gypsy folk, the Pale Young Gentlemen have caught the wandering attention of the unwashed, underfed, and underpaid indie scene.

In 2007, PYG dropped their self-titled debut — a wonderful prelude to Black Forest (Tra La La), released in 2008. Poetic lyrics and a diverse range of sound (thundering solo acoustic guitar on some tracks, the quaint mini-orchestra on others) holds my attention for the length of two albums.

PYG’s original quality and delivery is impressive. Recorded and mixed in two weeks, the album is far from crude but does retain a slightly ragged, lo-fi edge. A decoupage of gypsy eclectic, mini-orchestral medicine show melodies, and classic piano blues contribute to an overall folk-noir sound. Tracks like “The Crook of My Good Arm” and “Kettle Drum (I left a Note)” are a nightmarish cabaret of crashing tempos and somber string orchestration, and “Marvelous Design” and “Is There a Place” remind me of a Tim Burton film — ethereal, clever, and darkly human.

That said, I’m wary to grant my full approval. Mike Reisenauer’s melancholy voice is unnervingly reminiscent of Coldplay’s Chris Martin. I won’t make any formal accusations, but I will say that it disturbs me to hear his original musical recipe tainted with a dose of expired Coldplay. Regardless, I am already anticipating the next album. My hope for the Gents is that they will explore something darker and that caballero Mike would share the mic every now and again.