“Peggy Lee” is, if boiled down to its essence, to a single word, radical. The rock and roll expedition for M.Krebs is raw, visceral, and roaring. It feels like an expression that lies underneath layers, that’s coming from the bands very core being. Each song delivers a different soundscape, a different power and different scale. Holistic while being differentiated, “Peggy Lee” is consistently engrossing, enamouring you with its offbeat approaches and ability to defy convention. It’s authentic as hell, a purity behind the arrangements and performances that feels innate and within.
Opening with “John Prine”, this rather garage rock opener features vocal mixing that’s quite washed over, almost existing in the background. It’s a hazy tune that you quickly float through like a blur. As the titular track rolls in right after, the weight and power of the vocals come blazing through with force and emotion. Peggy Lee is a slow burn, one that’s accentuated by just how lackadaisically rhythmic the percussion is but how pronounced and powerful the vocals are. BB Jane follows a similar trajectory, but with a lot more happening all around it.
It’s on “Middle Ground” that you see this radical departure. Here, that roughness is traded for something far more melodic and smooth. It’s effectively a ballad, one that feels evocative in its restraint and more moody melancholy arrangement. Throughout the record, you’re left surprised at parts and in awe at others and relaxed by other still.
Peggy Lee is consistently entertaining. Whether its the growl and anthemic progression of “Eyes in the Back of her Head” or the melodic guitar opening on “You Were Just Being Cruel”, you never know quite what to expect and you’re left pleased in each case.