Tennessee Twin – “These Thoughts Are Occupied” / “Oh Darkness”
Like Mint-mate Neko Case, Lucinda “Cindy” Wolfe makes country music backed by a rotating collection of instrument-wielding friends from the Great Northwest. On this debut recording, Wolfe (the Memphis-born identical twin of Bratmobile’s Allison Wolfe, hence the nom de twang) offers a pair of self-penned, decidedly old-style tunes. Wolfe’s vocalizing, while not quite showcase-caliber, is well above serviceable, and a roots orchestra built around mandolin and fiddle does its job without making a fuss about it. But it’s the writing that offers the biggest payoff, especially the nifty chorus of “These Thoughts Are Occupied” — “My thoughts are occupied, but not by you,” zings its punch (to the heart) line, as some poor bastard learns he’ll get 86ed if the narrator’s former lover returns.