Texas-based duo Tele Novella is a retro, western, dream. Their most recent album, Poet’s Tooth, delivers soothing, slightly off-kilter melodies and immersive lyrical landscapes in true Tele Novella fashion. Perhaps it’s best to leave the reaching descriptions to the artists themselves, because when the two call their sound “coin-operated medieval country songs through a 1950s western lens,” they’re right on the nose.
The album starts off strong with the mellow “Young & Free,” a song reminiscent of a passed-down folk tune. The track is a perfect intro into the album, easing us into the strange new world Tele Novella crafts with their sound. “Broomhorse” introduces the slight echo that will become familiar through the rest of the quick 35-minute album. Also notable is a cheeky horse clop which is at once playful and deeply necessary. Directly after “Broomhorse” is a personal favorite: “Eggs in one Basket.” While the melody is fantastical and bouncy, the lyrics are the showstoppers in this track. “Eggs in one Basket” demands that its listener seek out their heart’s desires, despite what capital “They” may say. The song is a mantra: “the universe wants you to ask it / for that which you need / and it will answer”. Other standouts are listed below.
Poet’s Tooth is for free spirits. The album blends songs suggestive of folk tunes with a modern medieval fantasy, resulting in a world that transcends this one – but not so much that it’s unreachable. This album takes its listener to a world somewhere just beside ours. Step through the proverbial wardrobe and enter the bizarre yet far to real world of Poet’s Tooth.