Free To Be…You And Me, indeed. Let’s Go Sailing’s Shana Levy is a modern day Marlo Thomas (booyah Laurie Berkner, booyah!) Destined from childhood to be part of The Ship (Earlimart, Irving, Silversun Pickups) – her moniker; Let’s Go Sailing was a bumper sticker on Mummy and Daddy’s car (“We did a lot of sailing”).
Levy is the sole composer and voice of Let’s Go Sailing. Except for “We Get Along”, Deedee Doodle (Doodlebops) penned that number – a We’re Not Friends Anymore song set to the moogtacular “Baroque Hoedown” (Main Street Electrical Parade). The title of “This Much” suggests a wistful recounting of Little Nutbrown Hare – befitting her narratives (Ages 3-up) for sure, but it’s Levy’s minted New Adventures In Hi-Fi. I rather like “Come Home Safely” - the George Winston-style piano interlude conjures a wintry Figure 8 in a frozen pond. The Cowboy Junkies note bending of “Too Many Stars” is “Bittersweet Me” (“I thought things were going my way, but I guess they found something better”.)
The Venturesian late 50’s ‘Surf Rock For People Who Don’t Surf’ instrumentals of “Better Off”, and girl rockabilly-leaning “Heart Condition” are pretty if not terribly memorable. As is Levy’s early 60’s Herman Hermits pop (“Icicles”). The only thing that’s whisperier than Sanjaya on Folk Week with special guest Cat Stevens (“It’s As Clear”) is “This Rope Is Long” – it’s as whispery as Sanjaya volunteering for the suicide prevention hotline. Not a Fanjaya? Just wrap yourself up in the albums cover art: The Little Prince lost in Faith Ringgold’s “Rhapsody in Blue” New York. And Let’s Go Sailing cellist Tanya Haden’s (SSPU) back art - a postmodern Goodnight Moon with a little red tabby watching a living fireplace dvd. Painterly.
Bilged on her anchor – a five-writer band (Irving), the sometime Rilo Kiley and Dios (Malos) keyboardist/ProTools enthusiast has independently been writing and recording the songs of The Chaos In Order since 2002. A classical pianist since four, and a bad poet since college (The sky looks pretty”) – Levy’s 7 Out Of 10 instrumentation is more developed than her words. Hence the indie pop jazz-fusion Magnolia-Soundtrack-depressing “All I Want From You Is Love” and “Eleanor Rigby” Unplugged cello laden juxtaposing Levy’s inherent Dunder-Mifflin Pamness of “Sideways” appearances on Grey’s Anatomy. “It’s All Right To Cry”, Meredith. |