“Tonight“
from the album Jean on Jean
2008
iTunes
With Out Hud now no more, cellist and founding member Molly Schnick has gone her own way as Jean on Jean. Those with a hankering for more punk-funk will have to content themselves with the output of related band !!!, while indie-pop fans may be surprised to find in Schnick a kindred spirit all along — at least based on “Tonight,“ the opening track from new album Jean on Jean. Her lush cello playing is still a major focal point, particularly on the instrumental bridge, but here it’s joined by shambling guitar, sighing keyboards, handclaps, and Schnick’s own wispy, layered vocals. “Tonight after we said goodbye / I listened to the radio on my drive,” she sings, as the percussion provides a Phil Spector-ian rumble. Consider it a graceful, promising reminder that Out Hud, like twee-pop favorites the Softies, spent part of their formative years in Sacramento in the 1990s.