For The Swan In The Hallway – Jeff Kelly

From the Parasol Records website:
2004 solo album from the leader of The Green Pajamas and Goblin Market.

The Swan In The Hallway is the follow-up to Indiscretion, Kelly’s 2001 discourse on guilt and desire. While sharing sonic similarities and the continued ache of desire, Jeff now delivers the goods without the preponderance of Catholic guilt. This is big night music, full of lush layers and big time sensuality – with the lights out and a flame flickering. Jeff Kelly once again proves to be a masterful storyteller with the added benefit of surrounding himself with rich, evocative instrumentation and engaging songs. An album that plays out like the aural equivalent of an art-house smash.

Jeff writes:
“The title, cover art and many of the songs were directly inspired by a recent trip to England. ‘Afterimage’ was based on a novel taking place in Victorian England. So it’s my own sort of crazy travelogue I guess. The short Melisande songs were inspired by a French opera. But I think the main thing, when I glance over a list of the songs, is sex and desire. This time without the guilt. So it’s lighter and more care-free I think than ‘Indiscretion’.”

Magnet Magazine: “You can only assume that the reason psych-pop mystic Jeff Kelly has been so busy of late is that he’s so obsessed with beauty he wants to fill the air with its sound.”