The Valentine Six: The Valentine Six

Think all swing is naught but light, empty fun Get a load of The Valentine Six, and soon you'll be whistling a different tune. The Valentine Six plays big-sounding swing laden with forlorn country and a whiskey soul. While a locomotive beat keeps things moving, rich, choppy piano and a slack guitar do their best to keep it under control. Fronting this dark jazz sound is Parker Valentine, a manic-depressive-sounding New York resident by way of Austin, Texas, whose sax alternates between mournful wailing and frantic chirps, and whose rich voice belts out Nick Cave-style story-singing. If you're not dancing, you'll be driven into a contemplative stance as each song unfolds. If Gallon Drunk had more horns, this is what it'd sound like. It's spy music for the bad guys.