The Orchard
2000
Radium Girls
About This Album
In the six-page booklet insert to his debut CD, Radium Girls, Pat Burtis explains how "the Radium Girls were the impetus for some of the first labor laws designed to protect workers." The artist explains how these factory girls from the 1920s painted radium on watch faces and dials to make them glow in the dark. That some of them took ill or died from radiation poisoning, Burtis feels, makes for a story of the impermanence of beauty and human existence. The 11 songs sweep in strong, with the immediate "Aphrodite," a tune about "evasive love," addressing the above-referenced beauty from the outset. He gives hints to what is contained in his writing with a bit of commentary underneath the lyrics, a nice touch as it steers the listener in the right direction. "Three Days in the Box" is a song about communication when a relationship gets rocky; Burtis suggests you lock the two people in a room -- "the smaller the better." It's a great romantic notion in theory, but more difficult to put into practice, which is why lovelorn artists end up writing songs. This album is even stronger than its follow-up, Clarify; there are extra tension and drama in the grooves of "Said and Done" with a band that's tight as a drum.
Track List (try tracks 1,2,4,5 and 6)

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