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Grandpa Egg // Praying Mantis
Catchy, intelligent psych-folk that's one of the best new regional indie albums.
September 17, 2014 at 5:10 AM
Grandpa Egg
Praying Mantis
Independent
4.5 Stars
This concept album by Pittsburgh-based quartet Grandpa Egg begins with narration: "This is the story of a Praying Mantis named Pellapetisimo. That's Pellapetisimo. He lives in a meadow across the road from the house where I grew up. It's also the story of a bluebird named Hank, and a girl named Sally, and a whole cast of characters that live in the meadow, and their goings-on over the course of the summer." What ensues is 30-something minutes of catchy, intelligent psych-folk that sounds like something that would have been created by Syd Barrett if, rather than acting like a depressed lunatic all the time, he had instead mostly frolicked, smiling through sunny fields of flowers and butterflies. There's an intriguing storyline flowing through the album as well, so pay deep attention as you listen to one of the best indie albums I've heard in a long time.