Absentee - ‘Body In A Car Somewhere’ (Memphis Industries) Released 16/10/06

“Oh my love/ There’s a body in car somewhere/ And our relationship was going nowhere/ I offer samples of your teeth and hair/ To the man who turned up at our door.”

As the above quote shows, Absentee’s latest offering is a hugely funny ode to murderous tendencies the likes haven’t been heard since ‘Murder Ballads’. It’s a jaunty country track, upbeat, catchy and complete with female backing vocals a’ do-do-do–ing.  It reminds a little of Wilco’s ‘Summer Teeth’ in that, if you weren’t listening to the lyrics you could be forgiven for missing the gallows humour or criminal content of the song. Though its hard to ignore singer Dan Michaelson’s voice, a deep baritone that reminds again of Nick Cave and hints at hidden depths of depravity. Great stuff!