Saturday, June 30, 2007

EP of the Moment: Northern

After having known about Farewell Flight for quite some time now, I have finally gotten around to ordering one of their older eps "Northern." Like so many other bands before, I have made the regretful mistake of not actually listening to most of their music for months after having discovered them. I tend to hear one song by a band, fall in love with it, and then dislike like any other song when it doesn't sound exactly the same. I have no idea where I get this from. Anyways, about six months or so after, I will begin to open up to the other songs which are many times equally as great, and my ears begin to hate me for denying them wonderful music for so long. I'm working on this problem.

Unlike most bands today, I could not order the EP on iTunes or any other similar program. Rather, I was going to receive an actual CD by mail; something I haven't done in years. So now instead of waiting an already torturous three minutes for it to download, I was forced to endure several days for its arrival. By time Wednesday rolled around, my patience was reaching its peak; my ears were desperate for new music. When the mailman finally arrived I snatched the CD out of his hands, sprinted to my computer, and inserted it in as fast as humanly possible. Finally the music began and all the anticipation that had been building up for the past few days was pleasantly released.

The opening song, 'Clear,' instantly reminded me as clash between Death Cab for Cutie, Explosions in the Sky, and Coldplay. Upon listening to the album, I was exposed to carefully arranged pieces with graceful guitar and piano melodies to the calm and steady drum beat. Poetic lyrics about childhood immaturity and true love sang by lead singer Luke Foley's distressed yet crisp voice completed the songs to near perfection.

It is an EP, so there are only five songs on it. However, for those twenty minutes, you are transported to another world- a world of beauty, calmness, and lack of any care in the world. It is an exquisite CD that reminds you how beautiful both music and life can be. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Death Cab or other bands of the like.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Hello, world

With a long, hot summer ahead of me and ghostly white skin that is terrified of obtaining the slightest bit of sunlight, I decided it was well time to begin a blog. As these months go on, I plan on sharing my amateur views on music. With this, I hope to discover people that possess similar taste to me and be opened up to new bands and genres of music.

To begin, let me tell you a little bit about my background. I come from a family completely lacking in musical talent: my brother doesn't know the first thing about rhythm; my mother couldn't sing to save her life; and my father who probably is the only one with any musical inclination, is only seen singing after he has had one too many drinks, which is a rarity. Somehow, however, I developed an intense appreciation for music of all kinds.

As a child, I would sing and dance where ever possible; always doing little routines for family and friends. Upon I entering middle school, I took up various instruments and was told I had a talent for singing. Although, I haven't exactly lived up to my potential in that area, it opened me up to a whole new world of music.

With singing, I was exposed to many different genres of music: Broadway, gospel, opera, etc. Although I was not particularly inclined to these genres, I would soon discover my soulmate- indie rock. In the spring of '04 I somehow stumbled upon Death Cab for Cutie and my obsession with indie rock began.

Ever since then, my addiction has grown and I am constantly on the look out for new bands and new types of music. Though indie rock still remains the foundation for my iTunes library, I have lately found a greater acknowledgment towards folk, electronica, acoustics, Latin, and classical.

Over this summer I have several goals in this area which include the deeper learning of classical, ska, and electronica music; to once again take up the piano which I greatly regret having not mastered; and to learn more about the music industry due to my aspiration to possibly have a career in it someday. By having this blog, I encourage you to continue reading my terrible writing and help me become more educated in this area.