Never Mind the Context

MEMBERS OF MAGNETIC FIELDS / FUTURE BIBLE HEROES and other stars !!! Moth Wranglers is the bi-coastal musical collaboration between: Chris Xefos (ex-KING MISSILE and noted sideman), who sings and plays bass, piano, synths, harmonium, accordion, guitar, Melodica and drums; and LD Beghtol (MAGNETIC FIELDS), who sings and plays guitar, baritone uke, synths, Marxophone, piano, percussion, bells and whistles. Moth Wranglers was formed in 1998 by Beghtol (of NYC) and Xefos (of SF) to explore their mutual love of obscure pop histrionics and arcane instrumentation. MW's first release was a recapitulate of "#13 Baby" for Lifelike Records' Pixies Fuckin' Die! a tribute to the late, great Pixies which garnered the band excellent press. A vinyl single on Mother West followed, featuring Turnabout, a Texas Swing-styled tune about British serial killer/cannibal Denis Nilsen. Guerilla performances featuring the pair (and a small pink leather pig named Eleanor) were launched in New York and San Francisco, culminating in a prestigious showcase at SXSW 2001 in Austin, Texas, sharing a stage with Elliot Smith.

MW's live shows often leave audiences wondering what they've just seen, but knowing they want more. NMTC features a baker's dozen songs exploring nearly as many genres, ranging from psychotic hoedowns and bright 'n' bouncy sing-alongs to psychedelic rockers, gospel-tinged laments and swing-ing 60s pop tunes full of summer sun and good old-fashioned California dreamin.' Armed with a skewed pop sensibility and a slew of weird instruments and toys, Moth Wranglers make a noise one critic calls "a disconcerting, beautiful dichotomy of sound, dark humor and light-hearted horror." Beghtol and Xefos think of their album (and the Moth Wranglers experience in general) as a good old-fashioned indiepop vaudeville.

Step-ball-change, shuffle-ball-change... for this recording, Xefos and Beghtol are joined by a galaxy of indie-pop stars including VICTOR KRUMMENACHER and JONATHAN SEGEL (CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN), STEPHIN MERRITT and CLAUDIA GONSON (MAGNETIC FIELDS/FUTURE BIBLE HEROES), alison faith levy (the loud family), KEN STRINGFELLOW (THE POSIES), bill tutton (geraldine fibbers), and for good measure novelists bertie marshall ("psychoboys") and daniel handler (the "a series of unfortunate events" books).