Perhaps the most harrowing recording in the
Granfaloon Bus catalog,
Good Funeral Weather is also the jumping-off point for the group into the experimentation that would resurface, albeit with less prominence, on their follow-ups: the incredible
Exploded View and their swansong,
Lucky Curtains. Both the experimentation and the melancholy lean are immediately apparent on the leadoff track, "Seeded Clouds," where tension spills with triggered, fall-apart drum fills and Felix Costanza's beautiful and unresolved lyrics fueled by the first of many funeral references on the album. To say
Good Funeral Weather is an easy listen would be foolish, but the album unfolds with continued listening to reveal a wealth of emotional energy and precise subtlety. The emotional heaviness is broken here and there with slightly more accessible numbers such as "We're Sellin' Helen's Hearse," proof
Granfaloon Bus haven't lost their sense of humor, and "Some Kind of Other Love (WWII)," the sequel to the lament of a lost painting in "Worldwar Lovesong (WWI)," in which
Tom Waits sideman
Ralph Carney guests with an aggressive and impressive baritone sax solo. The track "I'm a Leaf" is worthy of mention in that it is certainly the most bizarre and challenging listen in the band's canon. Its unusual premise of the young protagonist's sexual exploits with "the youngest, severely lonesome daughter of a pathetically energetic 12-step mother and father" while camping at Yellowstone National Park is almost obscured by the wonderful arrangement with the opening of minimal bells and marimba supporting Costanza's desperate vocal.
Good Funeral Weather is an admirable, uncompromising, and provocative venture that delivers considerable wealth, provided that patience, intense study, and scrutiny are acknowledged by the listener. It is not the best place to begin learning about the group, but an intriguing turning point in
Granfaloon Bus' lauded career. ~ Gregory McIntosh