Oh, to be Young and Talented...

You Look Like An Animal by Paul Duncan

So, what exactly is going on here? Weird electronics, guitars, sweet vocals with and without effects, oh, and a banjo.

Duncan is part of a growing set of young musical talents: mid-20s singer-songwriter who plays guitar, bass, piano, electronics, cello, drums, (all self-taught), who moved to New York to work with a handful of longtime friends and musicians, and to make new friends that share his talents. This has enabled him to get a band together for live performance, and to help him with his recordings. These folks include Claudia Deheza (longtime collaborator with Scott Herren in Savath and Savalas and Prefuse 73, as well as the underrated On!Air!Library!) on additional vocals, James Elliot (of Ateleia), Joe Stickney on percussion and drums, and Adam Wills on guitar (both of whom are in Eastern Developments' Bear In Heaven).

The result of all this is a gorgeous and mysterious album, Be Careful What You Call Home, being released by the Miami-based Hometapes label in November. It is all over the map, musically speaking, with quiet, mostly acoustic folk-pop songs on one end of the spectrum, and bizarre electronics-laden songs like this one on the other - there's also an element of experimentalist undertones, with a handful of songs using what sound like field-recordings. It might be too easy to make the comparison, but I have to say Duncan's work is reminiscent of early Beck - at that point between his One Foot In The Grave and Mellow Gold albums - lots of elements mixed with poppy folk music, and his strange and compelling lyricism - with Duncan it really works.

Be Careful What You Call Home isn't out until the beginning of next month, but if you preorder the album direct from the label they'll ship it out to you starting next week. Also, the band will be performing at Sin-e on Oct. 28th with Daylight's For The Birds (Paul's new band with Claudia of On!Air!Library!)