LOCAL COLOR – I recently discovered the Durham duo Midtown Dickens at a record shop. I found the self-described indie / folk / jungle group in the store's "Local Bands" listening station, and was immediately drawn to the catchy beginning of the first song of their Oh Yell! CD, "Eggs and Toast." I love the repetition here, the harmonious echoes, and the way the song unfolds (if not bounces off) from one singer to the next. Plus, the opening verse for "Eggs and Toast" is cool as hell. It makes you wonder how a breakfast of possible lovers will turn into––oh, I don't know . . .––a breakfast of champions, as the couple at hand defeats the awkwardness of encounter and indecision. Kym Register and Catherine Edgerton, who the Independent Weekly referred to as "best friends, roommates, [and] bandmates" in a 20 September 2006 feature article, sing: "I want you to like me so we can go eat breakfast. You order eggs and toast 'cause you like them most. And I like you better. Sometimes people really don't like you. | If you get a chance today, maybe you could like me. If you get a chance tomorrow, maybe we could go eat dinner, too." The Midtown Dickens have a MySpace Music site, where one can further explore their sound and learn more thingys about the duo, like where––and when––they'll be playing their next gig as well as details on how to purrrrchase Oh Yell!. Switching from the nutritious meal of love (or perhaps lovelessness––equally nutritious lovelessness, that is), to another track, "AM Dial," this one is highly recommended also. Through a handful of charming, but melodious Durham references informing––and advancing––existentialist angst, the band sings: "Should I go to California? Or should I stay here? | Should I go to school? What a tool. | La la la la la la la . . . la la la la la | We're getting back to Durham just as fast as we can. | So I'm catching the next back a ride to Old Durham Town and I'm leaving, leaving, leaving. | Should I pay the bills? What a thrill!" Here's a YouTube video of Midtown Dickens playing at the first Durham Antifolk Fest in February 2007."AM Dial"
