the Born Again Floozies – 7 Deadly Sinners review

The Born Again Floozies – “7 Deadly Sinners”
(Triple R Records)

Devotchka, Tilly & the Wall and the White Ghost Shivers have has a three-way love child. There’s tap dancing, lots of tuba, and tons of terrific fun in the Born Again Floozies – basically, it’s cabaret punk.. The band makes me feel like I should be listening to 7 Deadly Sinners while I sip a cocktail and unbutton the sleeves on a fancy collared shirt. It’s made it cool to dress like a gypsy or member of the touring company of Cabaret. Days of wine and absinthe and all that… still, it all starts to sound like somebody’s playing a Django Reinhardt album concurrently with the Squirrel Nut Zippers after a while.

Now, the band (at times) veers ever-so-slightly into Balkan, Gogol Bordello-ish tunes, but for the most part sticks to a ragtime meets indie rock sound. It makes me think of expensive, unfiltered cigarettes. Those cigarettes are very strong, have a very specific flavor, and you’ve got to be acclimated to their taste. Bands like the Born Again Floozies are very much the same – either you like them (or the bands mentioned above, or the Dresden Dolls, or whatever), or you find them icky and terribly pretentious.

Born Again Floozies Theme