August 2003 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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Poet Chris Stroffolino releases debut as Continuous Peasant 14 August 2003
Chris Stroffolino is an assistant professor of English at Saint Mary’s College, an acclaimed (by critics James Tate and David Bromige, and by Poets & Writers magazine) author who writes for The Baffler and has published several volumes of poetry, and a keyboards player who joined The Silver Jews when Stephen Malkmus returned to the band for a reunion LP in 1998. Based in San Francisco, Stroffolino launched Continuous Peasant last year to record a collection of his songs. The resulting gem of an LP, Exile In Babyville, came out on Oakland’s Good Forks records last week—with general release set for 16 September. Exile In Babyville delivers a very satisfying, minimal DIY sound built from super competent musicians doing no more and no less than necessary to support Stroffolino’s songs—which range effortlessly from gentle country (the unlisted bonus track) to slightly twisted radio rock (You Should Go Down) to Nick Cave-style ballads (How Do You Know It’s Raining?) to Silver Jews/Pavement-style indie rock (It’s Not A Matter Just Of Me) to Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians-style sardonic-pop (Monogamy). But flowing underneath this playful eclecticism there’s a current of coherence, with everything drawn forward by the lyrics and vocals. It creates an urbane, dynamic balance between stylistic chaos and a grounded, solid sensibility. Front and center, Stroffolino’s somewhat off-kilter voice seems to wobble and teeter at the intersection of vocalists Ron House (of Great Plains and Thomas Jefferson Slave Apartments), Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, and former bandmate Malkmus. But the vocal fragility comes across as knowing, and the microtonal inflections are as engaging as they are evocative—and in this way remind me of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis—providing yet another layer to the already layered mix. Continuous Peasant include Stroffolino on vocals and keyboards, along with guitarist Peter Nochisaki of Oakland’s Good For You on guitar (he also produced this record), and percussionist Brandon Watson. Bass player Greg Hain left the band after the LP owing to his long commute from Davis, California. This record is completely unpretentious, and not reactively so. It’s also extraordinarily clever in a way that sneaks up on you silently like a cat, and hilarious and poignant in the most non-obvious of ways. The debut from Continous Peasant is piece of quietly elegant pop art that gets better with each listen. Stroffolino’s band will play a few US west coast dates this month—check their website for details. | Continuous Peasant | | Saint Mary's college page | | The Baffler | | Good Forks | | CD from Amazon.com | | top of page | |
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