I decided to start a new blog post called "P-10 Recommends" that I will be posting as often I as I can. The point of this blog post will be to let you all know about new or old music, videos, books, art, cities, food, and literally anything that I come across and would either consider spinning live, buying, reading, visiting, eating, remixing/working with, or just enjoying on my own.
I hope you guys can discover some new things through these blog posts and if you ever have any suggestions for me, get at me here!
Today's "P-10 Recommends" features musician Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and his 2009 release "Summer of Fear".
Miles is from Oregon and I totally picked up on that relaxed and carefree vibe from the first track, "Shake a Shot". As the album continued to unfold I saw hints of Manchester Orchestra, Conor Oberst, and was that some Neutral Milk Hotel I heard there? A really great track I recommend is "The Sound". If you don't get sucked in from the very first piano riff (rhodes maybe?) then there might not be hope for you. The drums slowly build into an awesome crescendo of layered vocals with a badass guitar solo that doesn't get all Van Halen over your ass but keeps the mood chill and the song on track.
This album might not be perfect for you if you are trying to get all happy and cheery; if you want that you might have to listen to some Biebz. But at the same time it's not all sad & emo either, this is the type of album you play on a long roadtrip through scenic areas, on a sunny beach just lounging, or pretty much any time you feel like just kicking back, relaxing, and maybe even cracking open a bottle of PBR...you hipster. Jk, hahaha
I'm not a huge lyric person, being more of an instrumentalist myself, but the lyrics on this album are very solid. If you are into some deep stuff, kind of like some Brand New ish (though not quite on that level yet...), then you'll definitely enjoy Mile's lyrics on this album as well. One of my favorite songs lyric wise is "The 100th of March". Can't beat a song that starts out with the line "Prick!". Don't let the plain intro and simple verse fool you either, this song is amazing. The piano, vocal melody, and then trumpet (I think?) accompaniment works soooo well. Definitely a song I would spin at a chill event. As strange as this may sound, the hook around the 2:33 minute mark reminds me vaguely of Billy Joel's "Piano Man", in that raw, unabashed, sing a long type moment. My only complaint is that it's short lived and doesn't repeat... Oh well, teases my earbuds I guess.
Overall the only downside I can see in this album is that I could see how some people might get impatient towards the end of the album because in all honesty, the songs and style do not change very much from the first song to the last, however if you are in the right state of mind, I don't think this should be an issue at all. Plus my argument has always been this, "Name an album where each song is extremely different from the others." I'm sure we could argue about this forever, but if I buy a Blink 182 album I expect fast paced, simple power chord action all the way through, and I love it... So just shut up and listen to this album, you know you already love it.
Style: Folk Rock/Chill/Indie
Recommended for fans of: Manchester Orchestra, Neutral Milk Hotel, Conor Oberst