Mistress, The

Mostly a one man band, but sometimes has help from Michael Tapper of Bishop Allen. Most songs heavy on vocals-as-instumentation. plus percussion. Not too much else crowding up the sound. Very distinct sound throughout the album so don’t stress too much about which track to play.
Recently toured with The Antlers and before that Ra Ra Riot.

1. I Think U Are Great (1:21) – Drawn out vocals with sparse instrumentation. A good one for dedicating to a friend!
2. **WHALE (3:43) – Starts out with head bobbin “oh ohhs.” Song about wanting to hang out with a whale! Fun and sweet.
3. Hate Me Soon(1:57) – Starts out slightly whiny, if you are into that kind of thing. Then picks up the pace a bit and ends with a White Stripes-ish sound.
4. *Hold On (2:59) – Another one that starts with some “ohs.” Vocal melody always reminds me of Morning Bender’s “Excuses” for a few seconds. One step away from being lovey-dovey, I’d say.
5. Libraries (4:38) – Starts with vocal layering. Adds a beat that sounds like drumsticks on a chair. About libraries burning…
6. **Hahahaohhoho (2:51) – Starts out with lyrics that are the title, which continue as the actual song lyrics come in over. A drumset comes in! Makes me want to do some twitchy dance moves. I like this one.
7. I’ll Run (3:03)– Slowish. Softer strumming sounds and tambourine. More of a standard song than most of the others.
8. *Campaign (3:02) – Yet another “oh oh oh” starter. This is a catchy one. Bouncier and more full then some of the other songs on the album.
9. **Mary (4:28)– My favorite! Starts slow (with “ohhhs” of course). Poignant. “Mary, you are doing drugs. Don’t you think we know? You always seemed a little too happy, Mary, Marrryyy.” Probably the weirdest song on the album. See #13 for slightly less weird version of it.
10. Slow Paddle (2:28)–I dare you to guess how it starts. Gets quiet (not silent) after about a minute, which lasts almost 20 seconds, and then sweet story-telling vocals come in (with very quiet instrumental backing).
11. *Bread (5:24)– A nice, sweet love song. Builds up somewhere near the middle into more of an indie-rock sound.
12. Fog (4:14) – Slow, dramatic.
13. Mary (alternate) (4:05) – Pretty much #9 but more cheerful with a steady tambourine beat throughout, and more of a chorus effect on my favorite part (the lyrics I mentioned in the description above). Depending on what kind of set you are going for, I would definitely consider playing this version instead.