Have the Indigo Girls broken up yet? I have a feeling they have, but I have to admit I haven't been following the trials and tribulations of Decatur, Georgia's finest girly-folk duo too closely. Either way, Tara Jane O'Neil and Cynthia Nelson-- better known as Retsin-- seem intent on taking over where Swamp Ophelia left off.
With this five-song EP, the duo smooth out the experimental eccentricities that characterized their privious work, and offer up a surprisingly bland dose of Lilith fare. The sonic depth of O'Neil's work with Rodan and the Sonora Pine-- which always seemed to spice up Retsin's lo-fi confessional singer-songwriter style-- is likewise nowhere to be found here. Even the lyrical conundrums, which at the very least kept things somewhat interesting, are traded for forgettable faux-witticisms delivered in a smarmy, sing-songy manner that would befit a Lisa Loeb album.
"Pauline and Susie" is the clear standout on this modest little collection. Presumably a tale of escaping to some relative's house during a breakdown, the song's repetitive riff comes off a little too cutesy, especially accompanying lines like, "This time I said yes to sedation, oh yes," but at least it's memorable. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for the rest of the songs here. They seem feeble, meandering, and unfocused by comparison.
Opener "Duck Out," even with clunky and embarrassing lines like, "Duck out to where we're from...there's no sex in my face," wouldn't be half bad if there was some kind of interesting musical accompaniment. Then there's the completely dispassionate and forgettable instrumental "The Moon Fickle," which suffers a similar handicap. "Money Song," a quite banjo and acoustic guitar rambler, presumably about the tedium of work, while not bad or annoying, has little to distinguish it either lyrically or musically.
Okay, okay, so this is just a between-albums effort, and maybe not indicative of the duo's future direction. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but hey-- you've got to address this kind of shit before it gets out of hand. Sometimes, an EP like this can provide a representative introduction to a band or artist, but if you're looking for a good cheap place to start with Retsin, Moon Money Moon is definitely not it.
