It's Good to Be Back - "Diluvia" by Freelance Whales

Well, it's been more than a year and a half since I last posted! I had to take a break from the blog in order to be an editor for my school paper and then I studied abroad, but I'm back and ready to keep writing about Great Music You Haven't Heard! Thank you to everyone who visited the blog while I was away, and I look forward to even more readers finding their way to the site.

I thought it'd be appropriate for me to re-start my blog with the new Freelance Whales album, since their first album "Weathervanes" was one of my first posts for this blog! "Diluvia" is an exercise in purely pretty music - it's not necessarily as focused on narrative and lyricism as "Weathervanes" is in my opinion (not that the lyrics of this album are bad). But that's okay. Instead, it focuses more on soundscapes; warm washes of sound under rising and falling vocal hooks. Listen to the first track off the album, "Aeolus," and you'll see what I mean. It's got a simple riff from the beginning and it gradually builds to include ethereal backing vocals and all-around greatness.

Another particularly great song is "DNA Bank," which clocks in at about seven and a half minutes. Picking favorites off this album is a bit of a futile exercise, though. This is definitely an album best listened to in one sitting — and believe me, you'll want to.

Head over the the new Myspace (which decided to get awesome in the time I was away) and check out their page. Here's the link: https://new.myspace.com/freelancewhales/music/albums.

Bear with me as I get back into the swing of things, and I'm looking forward to posting more and more often! As always, enjoy the music :)

Andrew

Let's help a great new blog!

Hey all,

My girlfriend recently started a blog called The Caffeinated Closet! As a new start-up, it needs viewers and followers? Now, I'm the furthest thing away from a clothes guy (heck, I try to get her to stop shopping - unsuccessfully). However, the blog looks great and it's interesting and fun to read (even for me!) So stop by, check it out, follow it, tell your friends and state leaders!

http://thecaffeinatedcloset.blogspot.com/

I hope you're all doing well!
Andrew

Hiatus

Hey all,

I'm sorry to keep you hanging, I really am. Unfortunately, I'm going to be shelving the blog for a while. I've become so busy I won't be able to post regularly, and that's not fair to any of you. So, this is it from me for a while. I hope you all continue to look at earlier posts and explore some of the music I talk about on the blog. Most importantly, keep looking for new music you haven't heard before (as I assure you I still will).

Until next time (and I promise there will be a next time), enjoy all the music out there!

Sincerely,
Andrew

Best 5 Albums of the Year So Far is Coming Soon!

Sorry for my slowed posting pace, ladies and gents. Who knew that the beginning of summer would be just as hectic as the end of the school year? (Not me.)

That being said, I am in the process of searching for my top 5 albums of the year (so far) so stay tuned and enjoy previous posts in the meantime!

Be back soon,

Andrew

"Tamer Animals" by Other Lives

I am an avid listener of NPR's "All Songs Considered." On one of the more recent episodes, the two hosts went over their new musical discoveries from the Sasquatch Music Festival (which I was super bummed I couldn't attend).

I've loved two of their finds so far, and here's the first one.

Other Lives is a group that combines the wispy-ness of psychadelic/folk music with the darkness of Pink Floyd. I'd say the best comparison you could make about this band is that it's a cross between Radiohead and Pink Floyd.

That being said, there's a lot of interesting stuff going on in this album that can't be pigeonholed as a copy of another band's style. There are the acoustic guitars and airy vocals, yes. However, what sets this album and the group itself apart from others is how they can flirt with the darker side of music.

The best example of this occasionally foreboding sound can be found in "As I Lay My Head Down." Using strings, tambourine, and what I believe is a bassoon, Other Lives creates a brilliantly paced song which is at the same time beautiful and very unsettling.

Indeed, Other Lives makes great use of instruments, from those of "As I Lay My Head Down" to the wonderful piano work in "Tamer Animals." Overall, this record is a fresh look at alternative music, and is definitely one that you shouldn't be surprised if this album shows up later this year on a "Best Album" post.

Here's a link to the band's Myspace.

http://www.myspace.com/otherlives/music

Check them out and, until next time, enjoy the music!

Andrew