I WAS JUST ABOUT TO WALK FIVE MILES IN A DAZE

Throw Me The Statue - About To Walk (Daytrotter Session)
Throw Me The Statue - Groundswell

All the best melodies on this album feel stolen - like he got out his old vinyl collection of Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, maybe even Genesis and then a week later recorded the melodies as he remembered them. So in a way it's all his own - it's how he recalls it. But in a way it's not even nearly his own - he's singing someone else’s songs. And it's this familiarity that makes it instantly likable.

Lyrically he’s kind of like Jacob Borshard, but less romantically self-involved. Throw Me The Statue is more like the court-jester than the miserable kid with a passion for sarcasm. Music concerned less with being serious, and more to do with the joyful things in life - like lollipops & toffee-apples. But it's not sugar coated, it's just naturally sweet. It's a small (more-or-less one-man) band imitation of a big band - handclaps, finger-clicks, harmonies - everything multi-tracked.

It's the kind of music you make when you sit in your bedroom with a laptop, some memories, and old instruments that used to belong to the school band. During the breaks, you probably play your GameBoy. And it shows. It's fun, and it's sincere. Just because it's dressed up in smiles doesn't mean it's any less moving. [Buy]

Words: June 24th, 2007

THIS SONG IS ALMOST PERFECT, I SWEAR

(image source)

Seabear - I Sing, I Swim

I don't want to play this song on repeat endlessly in an attempt to discover a hidden melody, a message, a sentiment, a feeling, a truth. I don't want to ruin this song for the sake of precise prose. This song is more about feeling anyway, and although feelings within or about songs can be described in words; it’s hard to pinpoint their exact nature. They were meant to be heard, or felt; not read about.

There’s a sadness in the song. It’s not frivolous, or throwaway, despite the way the music plays out. It’s rooted in the past, but it defines the present. (“I miss you / Even when you’re around.”) It is a weight that can't be lifted, a feeling that's always there - even when it's not being felt. Like the sun, or the moon, or the stars. Just because they can’t be seen, doesn’t mean they aren’t there, constantly.

It’s like the feeling of being alone, able to watch as the leaves fall from the trees, as the ocean nestles into the rocks, as the young pretty girl carries the old ladies bags across the street. The beautiful scenes play out in front of you, and instead of joy, you’re filled with sadness that you’re not a part of them. Like a smile without enthusiasm. This song sounds like tears you’re keen to shrug off. It’s not nothing, but it’s easier to pretend, isn’t it?

I’m not particularly prone to written hyperbole, so take this sincerely: this song is full of life, and it’s almost perfect. It’s daydreamy, sad, beautiful, miserable, wistful, and truthful. It’s a passing notion – a way to make something right, that’s quickly forgotten. It’s a romantic idea that never blossoms into a romantic gesture. It’s a confession, a love-letter, a postcard where the words aren’t quite right, no matter how hard you try. (The words of this song though, are pretty much perfect - enviably so.) [Buy]

Words: July 29th, 2007