Two Cups For A Tale

The Simple Ones retained their sublime coolness and edgy confidence on their sophomore effort, Two Cups for a Tale. The songs immediately have a different sense of urgency, with the pace seeming slightly higher than the band's debut, Worth the Weight. On "We Are...," the band shows off their playfulness with the lyric "We are the simple ones" being repeated on the short song. The measured intensity of "Heavy-Lidded" is a certain highlight. The sound turns jangly and abrasive midway through "Star Machine," with Jared McStay's voice and guitar work leading the attack. "They're Everywhere" features experimental sound recordings, a definite turn away from the band's normally routine approach to songwriting. The pinnacle of the album's energy is reached on "Testosterone," which starts off sounding like the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, with the band making the sound their own in the middle of the track. "Sick and Tired" is the perfect album-closer. It might be the closest thing to a ballad that the band ever did. It's wonderfully executed, with disarming vocals by guitarist Jared McStay. The album was mostly recorded at Rakapolis Studios in Memphis. ~ Stephen Cramer