Chris & Carla – Runaround / Willard Grant Conspiracy – Archy’s Lullaby
Get yourself a cup of tea and a cozy blanket for this one. Light a fire in the fireplace (or for those of you in those ’80s Reagan-boom condos, go flick that switch on the wall). Drop the needle down on this 7-inch, and just relax. Chris & Carla of the Walkabouts and Boston’s Willard Grant Conspiracy team up on this 7-inch for two fabulous, moody tracks.
Chris & Carla’s “Runaround” is a sparse, dark track with Carla on lead vocals, and her singing is flat-out beautiful. A la Mazzy Star, this track sways gently back and forth with a very basic drum beat and lyrics such as “Greed has a loser’s touch.” The Willard Grant Conspiracy pick up the pace, if only slightly, with their “Archy’s Lullabye”, which features stellar, gentle acoustic guitar and Robert Fisher’s aching voice, singing “Goodnight…goodnight/Goodnight to no one/Goodnight to no one next to me.” Both of these songs are worth having just for their warmth alone, not to mention the excellent vocals. Well worth your attention.