Romeo + Juliet's Month of May: Sunshine Variations

Romeo + Juliet is comprised of Pittsburgh's Jon-Michael Kerestes and Seattle's chiptune siren Leeni, perhaps it is due to the heated rivalry between the two cities that they came up with the name of their band, but we think that's a stretch.

Romeo + Juliet's first track on their debut release Month of May gives the impression that we're in for another male-female duo that plays in the same soundscape as prior duos with similar a make-up, The Kills for example, whose origins differ in the sense that one member is from Florida, and the other from England. Certainly, the Romeo + Juliet track in question ("Get In Your Square") has all the hallmarks associated with The Kills circa Keep On Your Mean Side, fuzzy guitars, sardonic lyrics, and a wry sense of humor.

By the time you get to "The Acrobat", the album's third track, that impression has been blown to smithereens. It quickly becomes apparent that, at this point in their short existence, Romeo + Juliet are more interested in exploring the kind of sunshine pop that is typically associated with 60s brit pop and psychedelia. For a duo that has known each other for little less than a year, and, due to the distance between them, are forced to collaborate online (this album was recorded without their having met once), R+J achieve quite a varied palette in a very short time.

While not much can be found about Kerestes' music before this album, Seattlites who are into the chiptune genre or Seattle's comedy scene ( The Beta Society, and she is the ColbertGirl) are well aware of who Leeni is; even they will be surprised at what this combination has put out.

The album at times sounds like early Leonard Cohen ("Life Will Never Be Simple"), The Velvet Underground and Nico ("Pretty Girl", "Root Beer Man"), Ennio Morricone in spaghetti-western mode ("Red & Black"), the aforementioned sunshine psychedelia ("Another November"), blues-folk ("Man or Woman") and a few more that combine any number of influences to create something new and should be discovered rather than described.

Because Kerestes and Leeni live so far apart, don't expect to see them touring in support of this album anytime soon, which is a shame; it'd be great to hear what they sound like in person. On the other hand, by putting together this album they have learned how to collaborate over long distances, and word has it they have built up a large catalogue that they will be releasing as time goes by.

Until that time arrives, we'll just have to do with Month of May, which you can purchase and download from their Band Camp page.