Written by Maria Arroyo
The Squirrel Nut Zippers are a mid-1990’s band that treads far away from the path of cookie-cutter music, and is here to share their newest album, The Lost Songs Of Doc Souchon.
Hailing from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the band continues to break traditional genre barriers and create music that they enjoy. This unique band’s sound can best be described as a “quirky mix of jazz chords, folk music, and punk rock” that really landed them their career.
“This new album was inspired by all of the mysterious characters from the history of New Orleans jazz music,” said frontman Jimbo Mathus. “It speaks to the hidden roots of where our aesthetic, interests and philosophy comes from. It pulls on the hidden thread.”
Their opening track, “Animule Ball,” is filled with fun jazz and blues inspirations. Originally recorded back in 1938, they find a way to keep that sense of timelessness about them and bring that to the front of it all. There’s a sense of wittiness and playfulness about this song, and the energy is off the charts.
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” is taken to a different world with the arrangement by Dr. Sick. The intensity that keeps that song alive is still in the song, but with a whole new makeover.
On “She’s Ballin’,” a lot of fun was had with their next track. There’s a ton of energy that radiates from this song that makes it memorable. The same can be said for their song “Purim Nigrum,” which is an interestingly fun instrumental song. There’s a bunch of rugged and dirtied up sections that really rose this song to the top. This song is full of character from the different instruments, the attention to detail, that add a lot of greatness to the album.
Their next tune, “Train On Fire,” highlights tons of staple ideas from the jazz era, but they still keep it interesting by creating a more haunting atmosphere for a little twist. It’s eerie and spooky, but with a bit of elegance to it.
“Mr. Wonderful” is a beautifully executed piece with a lot of freeness and movement. It’s a remarkable performance that keeps you entertained the entire time. Another top contender for best track is “I Talk To My Haircut” I have been waiting for them to have a dedicated instrumental piece, and I finally got it! The album would have been missing a huge piece had it not been for this song.
I always love the idea of resurfacing songs that never made it out like their tune “Cookie,” as it adds a sense of timelessness to the album. “‘Cookie’ is the next oldie I’ve dug up for ya,” Mathus shares. “And it was written by a very good friend of mine, Ivrin McClair.” There’s a great feel to it and the swing and musicality that spills out from the song really brings it to life.
Bringing a lot of fun and free-spiritedness to the album is “Happy Days Are Here Again.” They keep things free and fun with tons of free vocalizing, and a fun piano part to match.
Their final tune “Summer Longings” is an interesting choice for a closer. I love the addition of a female vocalist, but they waited till the end of the album to introduce her, which just felt abrupt and out of place. This song didn’t fit with the rest of it, so maybe changing the order of the songs for this to be in the middle, maybe it would have blended better. I believe they could have needed the album a lot stronger than what they did. It seems to be their idea to not want to be boxed into any one genre or sound, and they definitely stick to that, so I still appreciate their choice in that aspect.
The Lost Songs Of Doc Souchon is filled with a vast range of musical influences that set this album apart from most. I love the idea of breaking genre norms, as it paves a way for artists who feel they may not want to be defined by any one or two genres. Squirrel Nut Zippers is definitely not slowing down anytime soon.
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