The Welcome Wagon
Welcome to The Welcome Wagon
(Asthmatic Kitty)
Indie pop has avoided songs about Jesus taking the wheel. Enter The Welcome Wagon—the young, hip Brooklyn Presbyterian minister Vito Aiuto and his wife, Monique—which makes pretty sing-along gospels and hymns palatable to those who have avoided church. Produced by Sufjan Stevens, whose influence is striking on the pulpit-worthy arrangement of “Sold! To The Nice Rich Man,” this collection of mostly folked-up covers mixes spirituals with the secular, like The Smiths’ “Half A Person.” It’s about celebrating community and family, not praying for sins, and you don’t have to get up Sunday morning to enjoy.
Sue Carter Flinn
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2008.