The Chapin Sisters

Tue., July 8, 7 p.m., $7-$10, with Margillian, Pepi Ginsberg and Hacienda, Green Line Café, 4426 Locust Ave., myspace.com/greenlinecafeshows.

by Shaun Brady

Folk/Pop

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

With the Chapin Sisters' debut, Lake Bottom LP (Plain), playing in the background, it's a coin toss as to whether I'll finish this preview or slit my wrists. The Sisters put their lovely three-part harmonies in service of the most over-the-top melancholy this side of Edward Gorey. In a sense, it's a family affair: Abigail and Lily Chapin are daughters and nieces of, respectively, folkies Tom and Harry; half sister Jessica Craven is the daughter of horror maven Wes. Their morbid lyrics combine those bloodlines, marrying "Cat's in the Cradle" wistfulness to Last House on the Left hopelessness. The album begins with all three intoning "My baby hates me, and it's nobody's fault but mine/ He said he'd leave me, but he sure is taking his time." It's a typical blend of self-loathing and contempt for others that dead-ends in violence throughout the bipolar disc. Live, the dour humor of these Gashlycrumb madrigals can't help but emerge.

Tue., July 8, 7 p.m., $7-$10, with Margillian, Pepi Ginsberg and Hacienda, Green Line Café, 4426 Locust Ave., myspace.com/greenlinecafeshows.