Treetop Flyers: “To Bury the Past” EP

Treetop Flyers fell right out of the blue on me.  Honestly, I’m not even sure how I found them.  But I’m really glad that I did!  I will say is that I’m beyond surprised.  I mean, just look at those guys.  Where would you say they’re from?  You might have listened to their EP (freely available for preview on Last.fm, and purchase on iTunes) – To Bury the Past – and thought, as Artrocker did in September 2009, that “They can all certainly sing and play as if they were raised on the Mississippi Delta, plucking sounds from the ether atop a dusty porch.”

Imagine how you’d feel to learn they’re from London.  Then, you can finally soak in the relief of realizing that singer Reid Morrison and drummer Tomer Danan are Americans who have come to London.  Phew!  Still, it’s the last place you’d expect to find a band that exudes so much Americana.  I mean, heck, as a prisoner student on this island, I’m still dismayed by the fact that I can’t even find any decent barbecue.  (Oh, Redbones, how I miss you!)  To find music that recalls so many of the AM/FM classics of my childhood here… well, it’s wonderful and astonishing.

Let’s get right to it, shall we?  You can read an interview with singer Reid Morrison over at The Daily Growl, and hear more on their myspace page.  I’ve put the 70s-esque “Mountain Song” after the cut, along with a live video.  Enjoy!

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Wye Oak: Live on Luxury Wafers

We’ve mentioned Wye Oak and Luxury Wafers here before.  Now, comes the excellent news that Wye Oak have visited the fine folks over at Luxury Wafers to lay down some live tracks.  You’ll find two live videos (including an unreleased track “My Neighbor”), and four live mp3 tracks for download on their site.  I’ll put a small taste after the cut, but you should head on over and check it out!

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Message to Bears, “Departures”

Sometimes, we need a break.  As someone who is nearing the end/seventeenth fresh start of his Ph.D. thesis, this statement applies to me most of the time.  In moments like this, I like to turn to bands like The Album Leaf, Sigur Rós, and similar masters of ambiance.  But every now and again, I need something new to help me take the edge off.  Enter: Message to Bears.

Message to Bears is actually Jerome Alexander, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter from the U.K.  Those instruments, myspace tells us, are “acoustic guitars, pianos, glockenspiels, samples, drums, loop pedal, melodica, toy piano, harmonium, [and] voice.”  The result is a collection of beautiful, gentle acoustic songs that curl around you like a misty, English twilight (as I am currently experiencing one, I stand by this claim as 100% true).  The melodies evoke a sense of wistful nostalgia, and remind me of staring into a deep, night sky.

Taken from the debut album Departures (Out on Dead Pilot Records and iTunes), “At the Top of this Hill” and “Running through Woodland” evoke dramatic, melancholic landscapes.  The former, through children’s voices, recalls long-gone days of youthful innocence, and the latter conjures a forest crowned by grey clouds.  Absolutely lovely, and both very effective in their own way.

I’ve also included “Unfold” from EP 1.  To me, tracks likes this make me feel that I’ve stumbled into someone’s diary.  Even wordless, they are clearly attempts to capture very particular moods and impressions.  Just the sort of thing to help you relax by replacing your troubled thoughts with other, softer ones.  Come on in and have a listen, won’t you?

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Now Playing: April 12th, 2010

It’s months like this that I’m really thankful for all the excellent music blogs out there that keep me well-stocked with new and interesting things.  From Slowcoustic to The Yellow Stereo, Stereogum to Gorilla vs. Bear, I really am spoiled for choice.  I’m also still digging my way through those excellent shows over at KEXP and Wolfgang’s Concert Vault.  All in all, it’s been a great couple of weeks for music!  And so, in this slightly shorter edition of “Now Playing,” I’ll pass on some of the great things that have come my way.  Let’s begin!

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