I promised myself that when I wrote about My Best Friends Are Blues, I wouldn’t tell the Katherine story. I promised I wouldn’t do that because the Katherine story is already told in these songs much better than I could tell it. But, in order to explain My Best Friends Are Blues, it is necessary to tell the Katherine story a little bit. You see, Katherine was “the one”. Katherine was the one who got away, who, in some way or so it seems, wiped her feet on the heart of the boy who would do anything for her. In the end, he became obsessed and sullied, shaken to the point of needing to write songs about her in order to, hopefully, forget her or, possibly remember her for what he wished she was but never really would be.

MBFAB is the loose braintrust of drummer and multi-instrumentalist Rory Culp and has, on occasion, featured stellar artists like Paul Taylor, Matt Danger, Misha Hercules, Jeff Pope, Anthony Baird, Richard Sims, and a host of other mid-south musicians sitting in on sessions. Equal parts Jon Brion, Sean Lennon, a clever and unpretentious version of Ben Gibbard (if such a thing exists) and Mark Kozelek/Red House Painters, you can really take off your own shoes and walk around in the pain of MBFAB if you’ve ever been inclined towards unrequited love ballads. The haunting, chamber-esque quality of these songs are something I can only liken to Mr. Kozelek’s songs — unnerving and, at the same time, filled with a warmth and depth that is deeply appealing. “Sunflower Blue” is deeply reminiscent of Red House Painters song “Have You Forgotten” which I count among my favorites of theirs. If you’re lost in the throes of a love that you can’t quit no matter how it quits you, the songs of My Best Friends Are Blues may have something to say that you need to hear.

Listen To My Best Friends Are Blues – Sunflower Blue
Listen To My Best Friends Are Blues – Seashells