Review Text
The Bonjour Batfrog CD kicks off with the punky blusey Fe Fi Fo Fum that calls out apathy in the face of environmental concerns followed by the sultry tango-esque Strangers After Midnight. Bringin'Out The Dead suggests an Edward Gorey inspired seance while track 4, Don't Fear The Rabbit, evoking universal vulnerability, spotlights Helland on main vocal and driving guitar. Forever and Ever MC Escher takes the listener through a lyrical and sonic soundscape of the artist's mind bending drawings and the gothic girl power flavored Batgirl plays into Stephenson's long time affiliation with all things Bats. Carried Away floats into the ethers and the yearnings of soulmates while La Vie de Boheme celebrates the return to the creative life. Why Should I demands a call to action in the face of overwhelming pressures and She Was A Flapper tips the hat to women who make history.The CD closes with the reincarnation-themed tune Mirror Mirror. French-born Brit. Samantha Stephenson, vocalist and percussionist, and American guitarist Scott Helland, known the world over as Frenchy and the Punk, release their new full-length album, Bonjour Batfrog, August 5, 2014. The CD is brimming with their signature folk punk cabaret style which follows in the footsteps of their earlier 2012 Hey Hey Cabaret and 2010 Happy Madness releases. Imagine Siouxsie Sioux and Dee Dee Ramone had a duo inspired by Django Reinhardt, Toulouse Lautrec and Deepak Chopra, this is what it would sound like. One part Dresden Dolls, Sonny and Cher and one part White Stripes and Gogol Bordello. A pixie spirited flexitarian band of tree hugging, indie gothic, new age, folky, Steam-Punks by way of Paris and New York. Doused in red wine, kale and granola, raised on punk rock and ballet, eclectic and uplifting...fun with a capital F! Helland - co-founder of and bassist for the legendary MA '80s hardcore punk band Deep Wound, whose members included future Dinosaur Jr members J Mascis and Lou Barlow - pounds out exhilerating, serpentine guitar lines to perfectly complement Stephenson's playful and powerful vocals and percussion.
