Your Face Is Weird. Geoff Palmer & Lucy Ellis

Would Your Face Is Weird ever had happened without the Covid pandemic? As Geoff Palmer writes "2020 is cancelled", so my guess is, probably not. There are good things coming out of 2020 anyway. It is possible to make records while never meeting, sending recordings via the Internet for the other to add to and finish up. That is what happened between Boston and London, between Geoff Palmer and Lucy Ellis.

The collaboration was inspired by the song 'In Spite Of Ourselves' by the late John Prine, a Covid victim by the way. Geoff Palmer always wanted to sing it but needed a female partner and found it in Lucy Ellis, formerly of Australian band The Spazzys and The Rats in the U.K. The one song led to two, that makes a 45 RPM and that to eight songs in all. Four originals and four covers. Listen to 'In Spite Of Ourselves' before any other song on this album and you know what good idea this combination is from the very start. It sounds so extremely positive. A new duo is born, as this ought never be the last we hear of them together.

On Your Face Is Weird the duo, assisted by drummer Zach Sprague, aims for the pearley gates of pure pop. There's an element of country in there, of course when John Prine is covered, but for the rest it is as if The Bangles are joined by a male singer and have lost its sugar coating, that usually irked me, in the process. Just listen to Kirsty MacColl's 'They Don't Know'. This combination works really well. Bye, bye Tracy Ullman. Who needs her when you have Palmer and Ellis? Pure pop heaven 'They Don't Know' is.

The suave singing of 'I'll Never Fall In Love Again' by Tom Jones may be a bit hard for Geoff Palmer to achieve. This is not the case when Lucy Ellis takes over. Her girl like vocals totally changes the song, just like the addition of the organ does. Again a very well done cover version. And a surprising one at that, because what rocker burns his finger on a Tom Jones song?

In as far as compensation is needed 'Crash Of The Music' delivers just that. This staunch, tight rock song rips itself through the two previous, softer songs' impressions. Rocking like there's no tomorrow is a good thing in times when all doses of rock has to be taken in the home. 'Crash Of The Music' provides alright. What a joyous song it is.

Your Face Is Weird is only eight songs long/short. It is a fantastically optimistic record in a time when there are not so much places to find it. Especially for those having a hard time finding it at home. Geoff Palmer & Lucy Ellis share the joy they had in making the record with the world, thanks to the "yes" of their record labels to release the album. Great decision Rum Bar and Stardumb!

Wo.

You can order the cd and listen to Your Face Is Weird here:

https://rumbarrecords.bandcamp.com/album/your-face-is-weird

or as 10" LP here:

https://www.stardumbrecords.com/products/geoff-palmer-lucy-ellis-your-face-is-weird-10

or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g