The Bread and the Bait

iTunes Review

Foxtails Brigade’s debut album, The Bread and the Bait, is an album of genteel fascination. Singer Laura Weinbach sings in a beautifully mild and innocent tone that gives these songs the feel of folk songs written and recorded before the rock era toughened everyone up. The daughter of a cult filmmaker and the sister of stand-up comedian Brent Weinbach, Laura spent eight years studying classical guitar at UC Santa Cruz and busked the streets of Paris. The album, recorded with violinist Anton Patzner, is stocked full of tunes that are simply timeless and just as beautiful without drums. A beautiful art song such as “The Doll” is reminiscent of Judy Collins’ work with Joshua Rifkin. Weinbach is quirkier than Collins, but her insistence on strong melodies is similar. “For Leo,” the short but sweet “The Sycamores” and the pure honey of “The Clown” are tunes that stick to the straight and narrow. For a bit of zaniness, try “Steak and Cookies,” where Weinbach does battle with her acoustic guitar for dominance.