Can you still be an effective chorus when you go from two members to only one? That’s the situation singer/songwriter/lap steel guitarist Megan Hickey finds herself in as she releases a second album under the name Last Town Chorus. No longer working as a duo with guitarist Nat Guy, Hickey is carrying the load almost by herself, with only minimal support from bass and drums.
While the songs remain the same type of languidly meandering melodies and confessional lyrics heard on the debut, there is definitely a loss of contrast. Guy’s guitar grounded the music on 2003’s self-titled album, allowing Hickey’s lap steel to sigh, gasp and cry without having to handle such basic functions as holding down the rhythm.
The most memorable song on Wire Waltz, aside from the wisp of a title track, which stops short just as it starts to turn into something tangible, is a cover of David Bowie’s “Modern Love”. Slow down Bowie’s original and remove all traces of whimsy, and you’ll get a sense of this take on it. Hickey’s originals could use a bit of Bowie’s melodic imagination; aside from “Caroline”, which has a rhythmically intricate chorus, she tends to stick to a limited range of musical ideas. They invite you in, but they don’t give you much reason to stay.