Imagine, if you will: They Might Be Giants, Tom Waits, and Stephin Merritt have a lovechild. After incubating in the fertile musical womb of Philadelphia, it comes bursting onto the scene as a three headed monster of awesomeness called Sweetheart Parade.
Sweetheart Parade mixes in equal parts melancholy and beauty. Lead singer Joshua Britton bares his soul with his moody yet strangely entrancing voice. They foster an appealing symbiotic relationship between emotion and art.
To put it bluntly, Sweetheart Parade has a sound that can reach into your soul and demand your full attention.
Mixing alt-country style slide guitars, dark Morrissey-esque lead vocals and soulful backing vocals, they take their unique sound and refined it to a perfect balance. Every part just works. The droning bass line of “Backyard” mixes in with the slide guitar while the countryish backbeat carries it all along. It’s a common thread throughout all their songs. A lot of bands try to diversify their sound, but often just barely get by. It’s rare when somebody appears to really get it. They just get it.
And for that they deserve mention in this entry of “Hidden Talent.”
Sweetheart Parade’s new album Sings Like A Priest drops September 27th. Until then, you can catch the band live (dates below)…if you’re lucky enough to live in the Philadelphia area.
Tracklisting:
01. Wren
02. Sings Like A Priest
03. Backyard
04. Shovel
05. Slow Heart Snowfall
06. Crooked Crow
07. Lay Waste
08. Yven
Tour Dates:
Sep 12 – Dawson / Philadelphia (w/ The Broken Prayers)
Sep 20 – Fergie’s / Philadelphia (w/ Crow vs Lion + The Estelles)
Sep 27 – CD RELEASE SHOW at Puck / Doylestown (w/ Marc Silver + the Stonethrowers)
Sep 28 – Tin Angel / Philadelphia (w/ The Adam Monaco Band + Danie Ocean)
Oct 25 – Murph’s / Philadelphia (w/ Joe Duffey)
Nov 01 – House Concert / Philadelphia (w/ David Janes, The New Time, Crow vs Lion + The Estelles)
Nov 15 – Chaplin’s / Spring City (w/ The Mark DeRose Band)
Nov 22 – Johnny Brenda’s / Philadelphia (w/ Marc Silver, The New Time + papertrees)
Nov 29 - Fergie’s / Philadelphia (w/ TJ Kong + the Atomic Bomb)
Dec 06 – Murph’s / Philadelphia (w/ Jim Trainer)
Dec 20 – Fergie’s / Philadelphia
Jan 16 – Burlap + Bean / Newtown Square (w/ David Janes)
Sweetheart Parade: website | myspace
