Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s – ‘The Bride on the Boxcar – A Decade of Margot Rarities 2004-2014’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

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The cult following of indie rock band Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s will be the group who will most deeply appreciate their new release titled The Bride on the Boxcar – A Decade of Margot Rarities 2004-2014. Made up of never-before-released demos, rare cuts, and new versions of familiar tunes, it is a bounty for devoted fans who have stuck by the band for so many years. After threatening to break the band up time and time again, many may feel that Boxcar is a kind of finale for Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s. But front man Richard Edwards remains vague on that topic and given that this boxset will likely attract a whole new slew of passionate fans, it is probably safe to say they will be around a while longer.

Their status as an indie band is prevalent in both their sound and following. Edwards has the moody, pure vocals of a stellar pop singer, with the brooding sensitivity of a coffee shop guy-with-a-guitar songwriter. Plus, he has always connected directly with his fans as much as possible. Just take a look at the group’s Facebook page, and you’ll find him responding directly to comments and questions. It is that personal intimacy that also shines through in both singing and songwriting, and more so than ever on Boxcar. Many of the tracks included are quiet and acoustic, soft and a little sad. Each LP in the set is made up of rarities from one of the band’s five albums, and each are uniquely titled. There’s Hybristophilia (The Dust of Retreat rarities), Panic Attacks (Low Level Bummer) (Animal! / Not Animal rarities), Now, Let’s Risk Our Feathers (Buzzard rarities), Dark Energy in the Spotlight (Rot Gut, Domestic rarities), and You Look Like the Future, Baby (Sling Shot To Heaven rarities).

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And though there is cohesion amongst the tracks on Boxcar, the band’s evolution over a decade is clear. There is a tinge of twinkly eyed nostalgia laced through the older cuts here, particularly the vulnerable sounding “Lost at Sea” and “On a Freezing Chicago Street (525 Basement Demo)” both off Hybristophilia. A steady theme of feeling untethered, cold and alone runs through the songs on this earliest LP, making it one of the darker of the bunch.

By the time we reach the final years on You Look Like the Future, Baby, the band’s sound is so much more fully formed. There are traces of their younger selves, but the production sounds more grown up and the weight of the load has lightened (or at least it sounds prettier). “Your Sister’s House” shimmers and demos like “Lazy” and “Bust Up Fantasies” have a beautiful, almost Ryan Adams-like grunginess to them.

Though Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s have perhaps wavered a bit over the years, this collection just proves what so many adoring fans already knew about them: they have solidified themselves in a decade’s worth of songwriting gems. If Boxcar were their swan song, it would be a worthy one. But here’s hoping there is still more to discover.

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