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Scary Mansion
- Similar Artists: Cat Power, Will Oldham
- Location: United States
- Genre: Alternative/Punk » Indie Rock
Editor's review
In "lo-fi" music, the "stripped" aesthetic can actually sometimes feel like a barrier--the thing's just too mannered to bring about real intimacy. That hazard disappears in Leah Hayes' work with Scary Mansion. She whispers so close we feel as if she's sitting on our couch, and we're not missing a word she says.
Biography
When Leah Hayes accompanies her fragile, cracking voice with the thunderstick, the result is reminiscent of Harry Smith Anthology folk: simple, breaking, and humble. When running it through a distortion pedal, the noisy, feedback-y texture is closer to Royal Trux or Sonic Youth. Leah Hayes's melodies are always beautifully wrought and melancholy, and her voice has the expressiveness and simplicity of Will Oldham or Cat Power. Scary Mansion has toured with Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio, and sings on the critically-acclaimed "Return to Cookie Mountain". Earlier in her career, she was half of the noise-rock duo Satan's Fingers, along with frontman David Ivar of the group Herman Dune. Every Joke Is Half the Truth (zum023) is Scary Mansion's debut album.
