In a deck of cards, the Joker stands out and doesn’t fit into any one suit. Similarly, The Joker’s Daughter, the musical collaboration of Helena Costas with the production of Danger Mouse, stands out in music and doesn’t quite fit any one genre. Sure there’s rock, electronica, psychedelia, but there’s also hints of genres like polka. In just three songs, Costas managed to fit a lot of surprises. The Worm’s Head is a 7 inch teaser of the music of The Joker’s Daughter before the debut full-length is released by Team Love on February 3, 2009.

“The Worm’s Head” is a quirky song that introduces Costas, backed by a beautiful string arrangement. Her voice reminds me a lot of Feist mixed with Emilie Simon. After “The Worm’s Head” is the silly and lovable number “Bouncing Liquorish Bears.” On the verses, the music sounds like a polka as Costas sings silly phrases like, “Liquorish is very stickerish.” The jingle of the bell accompaniment adds just enough fun to make this seem like it would be a bedtime number.

The last song on this three-song 7-inch is “Slayer.” “Slayer” has a bit more of an edge to it as Costas sings repeatedly, “Waiting for the sun to come down.” She sings this phrase through a voice box. I like how the modernization of the voice sits with the more antiquated effect of the bongo beats.

The Joker’s Daughter’s The Worm’s Head was released digitally today, November 4, 2008 a physical 7-inch dropping on December 9, 2008. Look for the full-length The Last Laugh on February 3, 2009.

Tracklisting:
01. Worm’s Head
02. Bouncing Liquorish Bears
03. Slayer

Joker’s Daughter: website | myspace

Written by: Bethany