The Paranoid Style

The Paranoid Style is an indie band led by singer-songwriter Elizabeth Nelson and her smart, melodic, and instantly accessible songs delivered by a solid group of instrumentalists including her husband, Timothy Bracy on the guitar. Their music lies somewhere between conventional rock and garage rock in general. Recent albums have a more polished sound and better definition on the hooks for sure, but their general direction has not changed much over the years. Nelson is a treasure. With a voice and singing style that is somewhere between Sally Timms (of The Mekons) and Eleanor Friedberger, she drops references to Alan Greenspan's biography and Trotsky's death as she's delivering her signature catchy melodies, political commentary, and sardonic humor. Credit has to go to her songwriting skills and the musicianship of the band as a whole that the listener picks up these lines with a "wait, what?" doing a double take because they'd been caught up in the groove.