Friday, January 11, 2013

This Is Your Song For...January 11th, 2013: Swimming by Mystery of Two



Welcome back!  Today we've got another indie guy--or in this case, a group of guys from Cleveland.  And unlike Meredith Bragg, we can learn stuff about them.  We know they're a three piece outfit, that they record on Exit Stencil Records, and that they fancy themselves an 'experimental rock' outfit.

In the very brief bio that the Exit Stencil site has, the writer cites fellow Cleveland experimental rock outfit Pere Ubu--and Lord I can see why.  Lead vocalist Ryan Weitzel is really trying to channel Dave Thomas at times, and it's that coupled with the melodies that at times sound like the old 'po' rock' bands like Drunken Boat that managed to get signed in the weird Post Nirvana Signing Frenzy of the 90's, other times like the highly underrated Texas band Emmet Swimming and other times like the Boston-area indie supergroup Big Dipper.  It's not an unpleasant sound, to be sure--kinda meandering, but with a definite upswing to it when the band isn't more obsessed with getting all sludge-jangle on us.  My only real problem I have with the outfit as it stands so far is that this song sounds a little too similar to the other songs of theirs I've heard.  I'm almost intrigued to hear what Weitzel's rubbed-raw vocals would sound like on a number with a different texture and tempo.  Hell, I'd love to see what a Mystery of Two slow-jam would be like; it may be a disaster, but it'd be a gloriously interesting one.

Mystery of Two have already racked up a pretty impressive back catalogue at Exit Stencil Records, so you might want to sample some of their wares.

For the second week in a row, I can't find a video for the song discussed, so here's another song that'll give you an idea of whether you'll like them or not.




Sunday, January 6, 2013

This Is Your Song For....January 6th, 2013: Second Golden Age by Meredith Bragg

Contrary to what this picture implies, he seems to like birds.


Hello and welcome to the New Look Segment of Singalong Scriptures for 2013!

And today we have an indie fella out of Washington, D.C.  This is another one of these people I have tried very, very hard to find out stuff about only to be met with a number of broken link, out-of-date tumblrs and the likesuch.  I can tell that this was from an album called Nest, which also features songs about architecture* and birds, and that Mr. Bragg is frequently backed-up by a band called The Terminals.

As for the song itself?  It's got some echoes of dreampop, especially in the echoey vocals Mr. Bragg affects.  It also seems like Mr. Bragg liked Elliot Smith a lot, judging from his vocal phrasing.  The song seems to be one of a number his record label, Kora, claims were inspired by the birth of his daughter.  After all, the 'second golden age' Mr. Bragg is referring to is the trannsformation birth has.  He makes an argument for bringing a new life into the world renewing a sense of wonder in adults who lost said sense in childhood.  He speaks of how we live in 'shadows' as adults, and that new life brings them back to life.

It's good for what it is.  I'll be honest when I say it might not necessarily be for me, but it is well put together and does what it claims to do clearly and freely.

I have to assume Mr. Bragg and his band continues to play, and that he's working on a new record.

Here is a video.  I couldn't find one for this song, so here's the one about birds.



*-and when I read that statement about architecture, I kept thinking how I almost called this blog Dancing About Architecture.