San Diego's TEFFLON are a close-knit band of two voices, guitar, upright bass, drums, percussion and violin. That's violin not fiddle. Alicia Ruggiero does play it rather well, with an orchestral lustre rather than a folkdance skip.
The sound has something of the late 60s about it, when folk and jazz players (from America's TIM BUCKLEY to Britain's PENTANGLE) were fusing different sets of authentic roots music into something urban and sophisticated. TEFFLON have a similar ambition to make discrete things work together and they make a pretty good job of it.
For some tastes the success will be a bit too mainstream. The weaving of rock and roll, folk and orchestral strands into one cloth is smoothly done. A lot of others in related fields (like TUUNG perhaps or BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE) have gone for a more wholemeal, grainy texture, where TEFFLON sounds a little further back from the edge, and closer to what's palatable for general audiences.
On the first couple of plays through I didn’t get a strong feel for particular songs. A steady level of emotional detachment shifts gradually across the spectrum and it could almost be one long piece absorbing the attention but not really demanding my commitment. Devin Swanson has a Michael Stipe kind of voice, strengthened on choruses by Alicia's harmonies.
But on "Morning Way", saving itself for track three, the distinctively TEFFLON sound becomes very clear. It's the violin. Like a well-behaved Warren Ellis, Alicia Rugerio is full of ideas and expressive technique. The percussion on "Morning way" is bit less sympathetic than Jim White's inspirational playing for the DIRTY THREE, but the violin is virtuoso stuff. It's rich, mysterious and wonderfully fluent.
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The spell is so strong that when Swanson comes back into the lead role on track four's "Drunk Her To Bed" it comes as a bit of an intrusion. "Low On The Highs" is another instrumental track, with a gypsy feel and plenty of enthusiasm. Track 8 has "Santa Barbara", another lament of a tune with a haunting tune long violin notes and a deep and gentle string bass. It's here that TEFFLON seem to be at there most special.
"Lighten Up" is a fairly plain tune, transformed by an inspired violin phrase that stabs in at about one minute 8 seconds and again at 2:14. The album finishes on "The Olympics", with another compelling violin part but a rather heavy handed drum kit.
www.myspace.com/tefflonmusic
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