Starlight Cleaning Co.

S/T

Sofaburn Records

While the late Neal Casal acts as producer and guitarist, which is a good tribute to him, the duo of Rachael Dean and Tim Paul Gray sound much more like Elvis Costello, Chrissie Hynde, and a bit like Fleetwood Mac, which is to say their sound is somewhat punky, somewhat folk, and a bit country, a great mix that jangles and chimes, and moves along nicely. The lyrics are reminiscent of Casal, Hynde and Costello, too--commentary on love won and lost--and as good as those influences.

So if you like any of them, and I would say Hynde is the one they sound like the most, pick this up. Anyone who write like Chrissie, while still remaining themselves, is absolutely worth hearing.

Andrea Weiss