Periods and Question Marks by Nicholas Vroman (CD)

Another singer-songwriter deeply enmeshed in Seattle's 1990's and early aughts Belltown music scene, Nicholas Vroman writes and records songs with subject matter and vocal delivery comparable to the sort of disquiet typically considered the jurisdiction of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. The sinuous and sharp bass and drum interplay, Gypsy tinged violin and broken bottleneck sliding across guitar fretboard found on Vroman's recordings conjure a burlesque mood, all thick smoke, mirrors, shadows, and creeky doors, the latter of which make an aural appearance on Vroman's excellent album Periods and Question Marks. As sinister as his lyrics can be, there's something uplifting about Vroman's songs that makes you want to jump up and dance... but not before you've had your fill of the poison of your choice, be that brandy, absinthe or perhaps something even stronger.