By Chad Taylor
soundcheck@dmcityview.com

Love Songs For Lonely Monsters opens for Hanwell at the Vaudeville Mews on Saturday, May 26. Hill & Vale also performs. Show starts at 5 p.m. and tickets are $5. Show is all-ages.

Amy Badger has the best face in the local scene. When the music strikes, Badger’s face is a kaleidoscope of expression and emotion. Walking that tight rope between “girl next door” and “wanton sex kitten,” she’s a joy to behold on stage. She’s equal parts Debbie Harry and Tinkerbell.

But don’t take that to mean that Love Songs For Lonely Monsters is a style-over-substance, one trick pony. Because behind Badger’s facial gymnastics and heady vocals just happens to be a really damn good band. A band, it’s worth pointing out, that has attained a level of popularity in the city that’s surprising even to them.

“I don’t know where it’s come from,” said bassist Chris Lachky, standing outside the Vaudeville Mews. “It’s surprising to all of us, because it’s really all been word of mouth.”

It’s true. The band doesn’t even have a full album out yet. They put a couple of demos on their website (reviewed “Sound Check,” Oct. 20, 2011) and have since cleaned those tracks up and turned them into a three-track EP, but that’s it. And yet, Love Songs For Lonely Monsters has a devoted following that grows with every show. That popularity has culminated this year in a wildly well-received appearance at Gross Domestic Product in April and a spot in the eight-band play-in for the main stage at 80/35. They’ve also started taking their show on the road, playing their first ever out of state gig in Omaha just last week.

The lion’s share of the credit for that naturally falls to the band itself. It’s hard not to like these guys. And the music doesn’t hurt, either.

“It’s about emotion,” said Badger. “Sometimes even the lyrics are secondary. Someone at one of our shows may not even be able to tell what I’m saying, but they know they like how it makes them feel.”

While that may be functionally true, depending on which ape is running a soundboard on any given night, Love Songs For Lonely Monsters is a band that thrives on the ability to weave a good story. The band’s songwriters have a decidedly literary bent, and that shows up all over the band’s footprint — even in the name itself.

“The (name) was inspired by the movie ‘The Bride of Frankenstein,’ ” said guitarist Nick Parks. “When Frankenstein’s Monster is lured into a blind man’s cabin in the woods and is befriended and has a brief moment of happiness before resuming the role of the hated and hunted abomination that he is.”

“It’s a funny and sweet moment that goes terribly wrong,” added Badger. “(It) evokes a sense of empathy… I think that’s something we really try to capture when we’re writing the music. Especially in the lyrics.”

When you hear the band’s infectious brand of sugar pop rock for the first time, what’s clear is that they’re talented and fun. But it’s the second or third time ’round when the nuances within the band become apparent.

“I do most of the songwriting,” said Parks. “But Amy will offer input… (she’s) a published poet, and so am I, so there’s a good feel for it.”

Whether it’s the lyric dexterity inherent in “Ganglion Sister” or a line as simple as “Hail to the lightning bug/la la la la,” these Lonely Monsters definitely have a feel for their music, and it’s infectious. CV