I first met Kelli Scarr when she collaborated with Moby on a song they'd written together as part of NPR's 'Project Song.' Kelli has a voice that draws me closer to a song: it's too alluring to stay in the background but gentle enough that it never feels demanding. She sang on Moby's Wait for Me before releasing her own more ethereal record, Piece, and was nominated for an Emmy Award for music she wrote for an HBO show called In A Dream.
And now for something completely different. Kelli Scarr's new record, Dangling Teeth, is basically a country record. There are still wisps of dreaminess, but she and her talented band are playing songs that sit well on my record shelf next to Neil Young's Harvest. The album comes out June 5, but we have the title track, which also opens the record, right now.
We asked Kelli Scarr to tell us about "Dangling Teeth."
The song "Dangling Teeth" represents viewing a situation from an open plain and taking a chance by moving forward. It was important for me that this song be first on the album as it became the musical statement that connected the themes and emotions of the entire record. I felt more at home as a singer and a songwriter on this record and in this song I'm asking the audience to come in and explore this new territory with me. The opening line and elements of the chorus are also directly inspired by my reaction to seeing Pina Bausch's Vollmond performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2010. A good old fashioned threat opens the song: "I'll hit that smile with my mouth, I'll hunt you down." Lyrically, "Dangling Teeth" dares you to take a risk on the magic and mystery of moving towards the unknown and Scott Metzger's beautiful guitar melody envelops the playfulness of this idea.
Dangling Teeth will be out June 5th from Silence Breaks.
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