CD of The Week

Moving Panoramas is the new project from Austin artist Leslie Sisson, formerly of The Wooden Birds, and numerous other bands. It would be an extreme understatement to say that a traumatic event in Leslie’s life ultimately led her to the formation of this band and the writing of the songs on their debut album One. After the end of her previous band and losing her mother to drugs, Sisson and her boyfriend at the time were kidnapped at gunpoint from their home. I can barely begin to describe such a horrific event in the confines of this space, but I highly encourage you to read the firsthand account that she wrote for The Austin Chronicle in order to fully understand the miracle of this album’s existence and her life. I also don’t feel at all qualified to analyze the record lyrically in relation the kidnapping.

Understandably Sisson went through a period of reclusiveness while struggling with PTSD, but credits a part time job teaching music to kids at the local School of Rock for getting her out of the house and on the road to recovery. Writing music all the while, she began mentoring a student at the school, Rozie Castoe, who would become Moving Panoramas’ bass player. As the two began recording together, Leslie brought in a longtime friend Karen Skloss on drums.

One has a dreamy haze over it and reminds me a bit of Mazzy Star crossed with Best Coast. The album’s first single and title track is arguably it’s standout and has a curiously humorous music video, given the backstory. “Believe” is another highlight, perhaps most directly about Sisson’s harrowing tale, while “Radar” is great if you’re looking for a rocker. While some of the album’s middle tracks blend together, it’s a lovely space to get lost in.