… Bradanini’s voice is strong and sexy (a few Cat Power comparisons are plausible), and her music is best-suited for fans of old westerns, romanticized outsiders (check the S.E. Hinton-inspired name), Springsteen’s Nebraska and Tom Waits.
Pony Boy tackles “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” from Father John Misty’s brilliant Fear Fun, and she succeeds in turning it into a sexy, gothic gem. Bradanini’s delivery complements J. Tillman’s stirring lyricism to pull off a murky graveyard vibe, like a field of full newly christened ashtrays billowing smoke lines into the midnight air.
Pony Boy is the project of the sultry singer Marchelle Bradanini. Before her cover of the Tillman song, Bradanini released the summer single, “Not In This Town”, produced by John Would (Fiona Apple, Wanda Jackson) and featuring Amy Wood (Fiona Apple) on drums. However, Pony Boy’s sound is anything but Fiona Apple, almost an old west style sound with twangy guitars.
[soundcloud url=”http://soundcloud.com/pony-2-1/hollywood-forever-cemetery”]
Marchelle Bradanini, better known as Pony Boy has become a new favorite of mine — her voice is a smoky, sultry croon that perfectly fits songs focusing on murder, despair and loneliness. This cover of Father John Misty’s “Hollywood Forever Cemetery,” is her latest single and it’s a languid, buzzing and altogether seductive cover. In an odd way, it reminds me of some of Johnny Cash’s covers of old folk tunes — where he also made songs about murder kind of sexy.
