Listening to Agent Ribbons’ newest release Chateau Crone (out October 12th on Antenna Farm Records) I was reminded of their final show in Sacramento back in March. I was impressed by the sophistication of the production and sound; by their wit and intelligence, energy and sass. In fact, it was the Agent Ribbons I remembered from that show but more. On top of their signature cabaret style, a selling point of their first album On Time Travel and Romance (2006), they sounded as if The Breeders (circa Last Splash ) and Amanda F. Palmer (of Dresden Dolls fame) teamed up to create a super chick band.

Their lead off track “I’m Alright,” for example, is a smooth summery anthem harkening back to The Zombies “She’s Not There.” Layered both lyrically and musically this subtle, romantic, and empowering song in which the lead singer Natalie Gordon demands nothing less than the love of another, sets afire the slow burn that is the album as a whole.

And by “slow burn” I do not mean “boring.” There was extraordinary attention paid to not only the composition of the songs but the track order of Chateau Crone as well. How many pop albums have you heard that start off with a bang, followed by one or two more “upbeat” tracks, and eventually taper off into something slow and thoughtful, only then to repeat the formula once or twice before ending on a final, pensive note?

Instead of relying on this popular (and, yes, boring) trope, Agent Ribbons make a bold move with their first major release and keep the mood dark and low throughout starting with “Grey Gardens,” a hopelessly romantic and eerie waltz for a Russian aristocracy. Nestled halfway through the album they maintain this tone with an aptly titled song that exemplifies their strength as songwriters: “Born to Sing Sad Songs.”

“I was born to sing sad songs that go on for more than 3 minutes long, and I feel another coming on, now that you’re gone…if words were as specific as my heart is prolific then you would have had one hundred songs by now.”

By maintaining this mood, containing the potential energy and hinting at the possibility of a chaotic jam with tracks like “I’ll Let You Be My Baby,” and “Oh, La La”, Agent Ribbons manage to create superb tension. It isn’t until the very last track, “Wood, Lead, Rubber,” that listeners are finally rewarded with an explosive conclusion, in my experience eliciting not just an emotional but a physical response to the album as well.

From their look on and off stage – an amalgamation of Lolita-esque vintage dresses and punk styling, including cranberry tinted hair, tattoos and Patti Smith’s armpits – to their influences (Eartha Kitt and the Velvet Underground), to Chateau Crone’s album art (which includes a temporary tattoo)  – this band is like an antique shop and their sound a dusty first edition of Alice in Wonderland atop a high shelf in the back of the store. Agent Ribbons is kitschy, whimsical, and cool and Chateau Crone is a rare find.