Paper Moon Shiners
Album: Paper Moon Shiners
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.papermoonshiners.com

If nothing else, they have one of the best names I've encountered in a while. As it happens, they do have more to offer too. Comprising Elena Antinelli and Frank Meyer, who share vocals while he plays guitar, dobro and ukulele as well as impersonating a kazoo, the Austin duo's mission is to recreate, as their bio notes, the sound of prohibition speakeasies, dust bowl medicine shows, Mississippi Delta juke joints and Harlem Renaissance night clubs of the 20s and 30s.

She opens proceedings with the 1928 trad number Who's That Knockin?, at times reminding me of a less shrill Tiny Tim, while he makes his deeper and slightly sleazier vocal debut on the creepy Waits meets Cohen Devil Up There, she taking up the reins again for Meyer's bluesy, sparse banjo backed Nobody. This should already be enough to convince you to embrace them to your musical bosoms, but if you need further persuading then check out the lazily sung duet Dance Into The Sea, Antinelli's growled, dobro-backed take on Robert Johnson's Come On In My Kitchen or the co-penned ukulele-backed vaudeville styled blues Git.

There's a couple of classic evergreens for good measure, both from the late 20s, delivering a warblingly lovely Carolina Moon and a ukulele romp through That's My Weakness, a 1928 hit for Helen Kane with Meyer doing his mouth music kazoo and Anintelli introducing a dash of playful scat. Rounding off with the 69 second uke strummed Space, this is an absolute delight that should be immediately tracked down by anyone with an interest in American music of the early twentieth century.

Mike Davies