AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
A look now at the latest from Roomful Of Teeth. The musical group emphasizes vocals, and their debut in 2012 got them a Grammy. Now they're collaborating with songwriter Gabriel Kahane. Our reviewer, NPR's Tom Huizenga, says their new album pushes not just musical boundaries, but metaphysical ones.
TOM HUIZENGA, BYLINE: The album is called "Elevator Songs."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SPEAKING IN TONGUES (PROLOGUE)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: Going up.
HUIZENGA: And the elevator in question is very high concept. It can take us through time and space, stopping on floors of an imaginary hotel, where we meet a cast of quirky clientele. Gabriel Kahane wrote these songs for Roomful Of Teeth. He also does a little singing himself.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SPEAKING IN TONGUES (PROLOGUE)")
GABRIEL KAHANE: (Singing) To be honest, this hotel is kind of creepy.
HUIZENGA: It is a little creepy, in a "White Lotus" meets "Everything Everywhere All At Once" kind of way. It's also fun and bittersweet and sometimes sad. Where shall we go first?
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NEWBORN PLAGUE (ROOM 304)"
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: Eighth floor.
HUIZENGA: In "Room 813," we're transported to the late 1980s. A man drafts a eulogy for an AIDS victim in the song "St. Vincent's Hospital."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL (ROOM 813)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: (Singing) Well, hey, this isn't the first time I've done it. Making a map of sorrow in my head. God bless the sisters at St. Vincent's.
HUIZENGA: Like a movie director, Kahane hands out roles to individual singers in Roomful Of Teeth while the rest of the group supplies expressive backup. These songs are built on melodies that pop. They go down easy, but the vivid portraits they paint linger.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ST. VINCENT'S HOSPITAL (ROOM 813)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: Eighteenth floor.
HUIZENGA: Like this hilarious one in "Room 1832," where we eavesdrop on a vainglorious fashion podcaster in the song "Valise."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "VALISE (ROOM 1832)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: I'm recording in a deluxe king room at the DoubleTree in Denton, Texas.
HUIZENGA: Warning - Kahane's pop hook refrain in this song is ridiculously infectious.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "VALISE (ROOM 1832)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: (Singing) Start with a sexy pair of underwear, underwear. Ride them low so folks don't even know you got them there, got them there. Add some jeggings and a faux fur blazer just for fun. You're ready for the runway in more ways than one, girl. Put it in my valise. Put it in my black bag. Put it in my Cucinelli knapsack. Put it...
HUIZENGA: Kahane is one of today's most insightful and witty wordsmiths. He once used posts from Craigslist to create Schubert-style lieder. On "Elevator Songs," he's crafted a mock operatic scene for a skeezy hotel hot tub lurker.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE HOT TUB (FITNESS CENTER)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: (Singing) I'm happy to be in the hot tub.
HUIZENGA: Ah, best just to leave that guy alone. Let's step into the elevator, heading to...
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE HOT TUB (FITNESS CENTER)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: Twelfth floor.
HUIZENGA: ...Where we meet a U.S. soldier alone, facing PTSD in the song "Not Even The Dead."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "NOT EVEN THE DEAD (ROOM 1212)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: (Singing) Not even the dead will be safe at this banquet where nobody knows what to celebrate but anger.
HUIZENGA: Gabriel Kahane himself has the last word on the album, where he assumes a ghostly presence. He's always been there, keeping watch.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALL THAT IS SOLID (THE ELEVATOR)")
KAHANE: (Singing) Witnessing birth, death, fistfights, suicide, heartbreak, revelation.
HUIZENGA: Today, we emphasize singles - if not 10-second clips - over albums. I welcome the immersive experience of "Elevator Songs." But if you don't buy the conceit or just need to cherry pick, the album offers poignant depictions of our emotionally messy lives in arresting, bespoke performances.
RASCOE: The album is "Elevator Songs" by Roomful Of Teeth and Gabriel Kahane. Our reviewer is NPR's Tom Huizenga.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALL THAT IS SOLID (THE ELEVATOR)")
ROOMFUL OF TEETH: (Vocalizing). Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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