An Ink 19 Exclusive Premiere
The Davenports
“The Annabellas of the World”
by Rose Petralia
It might be the tight handclap, or the full-out guitar strum that grabs right from the get-go, or maybe that little downturn toward the minor chord beginning the chorus that gets me. Of course, it is all of these things, broken down and put together and borne up on a glassy slide of smooth backing vocals, that make “The Annabellas Of The World” my chosen earworm — I’ve been listening to this song longer than you have.
“The Annabellas Of The World” is the only track on The Davenports forthcoming album to feature other artists, a departure from mastermind Scott Klass’s otherwise completely solo venture. “I really had tremendous freedom to just do whatever I wanted,” Klass says.
It’s Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne) and Philip Price (Winterpills), Klass’s bandmates from Look Park, doing all those swoopy “ahs,” while Klass does the “nah nah” part and Danny Weinkauf (They Might Be Giants) keeps the whole thing full, climbing stairs up and down a beautiful bass line.
The song exposes the differences between those of us who let little things get in our way and “The Annabellas,” who instead grab those things and make them ridiculously fun. “I think typically I fall into the first camp, ie, I’m not always so great at just brushing things off. I can get irritated, ruminate, and sometimes withdraw. It’s not to say I never just take things in stride, but I wish I could do it more,” says Klass, who acknowledges that this one is a bit therapeutic.
“Some call the tail, you call the head / Blazing your trail back to bed / While you curl in the corner / The Annabellas of the world / Make a day-glo kite and carve out a night / Turning forks and knives on the dicks and their girls.”
The Davenports have been around since 2000, known for “Five Steps,” the theme song for the Emmy-nominated series Intervention. Pre-save You Could Have Just Said That, out on Mother West Records January 31, 2025.
Featured photo by Marc Lucas.
