Eternal Summers is another one of those indie rock groups that sounds better in the summer than it does in the winter. I take all the blame for this one though because their debut album, Silver, has been sitting in my downloads folder since the end of the summer. My bad. Now that I listened to it, I'm regretting my storing it away in the bowels of my computer like my "Fall 2010" law school folder. What's even more upsetting is that this duo is from Roanoke, VA... a hop, skip, and a jump from my college town of Williamsburg. I'm having this very weird moment right now where I'm dying to go back to Rolfe Road to play catch in the back yard. We'd always have music playing for those lazy summer days right before school started, and this album would be perfect for a long drive down the Colonial Parkway to the beach or just lounging on the front porch of the lodge with a beer and barbecue. This duo excels at demonstrating how versatile lo-fi guitar-drum teams can be. This album is very real - you can hear when they screw up. It's as if they just did 10 takes with absolutely no computer processing, picked the best one, and said, "Okay, I guess that'll do." I think that's enviable, and I think that's what much of modern music is missing. But alas, I'd rather be listening to something else. There's something very special about the carefree summer lifestyle compared to the flu-ridden and drearily-cold-and-snowy mentality of winter (although, I have to admit it's fun living in a place where it's summer all year long). Definitely do not take my advice on this one and definitely grab this album. Unlike the suspect Smith Westerns' album I wrote about yesterday, I know this one will be on my summer playlist. For now, I give it a 2.8/5 because I can't think of a time until summer when I will want to listen to it again. In a few months, I expect it to be at least a 4.2/5. Favorite songs: Pogo, I'll Die Young for Rock n Roll, and Bully in Disguise.
I have a very strong appreciation for folk singers. But that also means I'm very critical of them. Giant Sand is completely new to my folk collection. This guy is awesome; I'd lump him with the likes of The Tallest Man On Earth and J. Tillman. There's one thing though that sets Giant Sand apart from the other two: Howe Gelb, Giant Sand's frontman, doesn't play the prominent instrument. That belongs to the killer guitarist on this album. Seriously, kudos to him. But when Gelb is playing piano, it's almost always completely overshadowed by the five piece band (the exceptions are Chunk Of Coal, Lucky Star Love, Time Flies, and Love A Loser in which he solos wonderfully). I've decided that doesn't matter though. This guy is from Arizona, the band is mostly from Denmark. One listen to this album and you know who did all the work. He is bluesy, country, wild-westy, jazzy, rocky, and folky all on one album; and man do he and his band do it well. The percussion is almost all done with brushes, the guitars have low distortion on them to give the album a rustic appeal, and a steel guitar provides color commentary. Gelb is kind of a bad singer, but an excellent story teller. His lyrics are captivating: I was lonesome / and the wind blew bold / Lonesome / and the wind blew bold / I was lucky she had the eye / to find the diamond in / this chunk of coal / The story's been told a thousand times / but it never gets old / You don't miss your water 'till your well runs dry / You don't miss your spark 'till the night turns cold / But everything she touches turns to gold / She had the eye / to find the diamond in / this old chunk of coal. Despite his great poetic lyrics and story-telling rhetoric, it's completely noticeable when he's off key. But that does not subtract from the album because his singing style adds to the maturity and appeal of Blurry Blue Mountain. Sorry, I should have mentioned the album name earlier. Easily a 4.7/5. Picking favorites for this album is difficult because all the tracks offer something different, and they're all great. But I'm going with: Chunk Of Coal, Spell Bound, No Tellin', Time Flies, and Love A Loser.
I cannot stop listening to the Kisses album I suggested two days ago. If you haven't had the chance to hear it, I definitely think you should. The more I do, the more I like it.
Also, as a note, I'll probably be posting less over the weekend.
Best, Jonathan
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