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West 28th Street
Everything is coming up Brigid Kaelin: Fresh off her guest turn with hero Elvis Costello last week at the Palace, Kaelin’s excellent new album, West 28th Street, hit Louisville in limited release this week. Her fun, quirky personality shines throughout, starting off with the naughty-yet-vulnerable “I Did Something Bad,” in which she confesses that her good-girl image might not be 100-percent accurate.
The entire album is filled with such emotional honesty and glimpses into a left-of-center view of the world that is refreshing and endearing, all delivered in a stripped-down, Americana-meets-pop (with an occasional dash of jazz) style. There’s not a bad track in the bunch, but one highlight is “Sunday Afternoon,” a sparkling proclamation that life should be fun and should be lived for the day. It includes the hilarious and telling line, “I’ll be your June Carter, if you’ll be my one-night stand.”
Kaelin, perhaps best known for her guest spots playing accordion and musical saw with numerous other performers, proves in fine form on West 28th Street, sounding every bit a confident person and performer — good girl, bad girl or otherwise. Great things lie ahead for this one. —Kevin Gibson
Death Cab for Cutie
Did you hear about the girl who’d only date guys who’d been diagnosed as psychotic? She’d shrug and say, “At least you can be sure they’re into commitment.”
I’d like to hook her up with Death Cab bandleader Ben Gibbard — especially after this disc, it’d clearly be an interesting match. Narrow Stairs improves on Plans, the group’s successful indie-to-major transition. Now they’ve got increased confidence and take on a relationship song-cycle. The skewed sequence starts at “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” a segmented gem of rueful aftermath. Straight after is a magnetic extended take on obsessive desire, “I Will Possess Your Heart.” Then the songs shorten up — and you don’t need a libretto to read the subtext about pursuing (and reinterpreting) being more important than having.

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