Throw Me The Statue - "Young Sensualists". Few things are so suited to bittersweetness as pop songs. Scott Reitherman's bedroom pop - catchy melodies, uke and synth, part Guided By Voices & part Magnetic Fields, - wields a wistfulness that's sometimes breathtaking. "Young Sensualists" is pensive, honest, filled with the blossom-scent of nostalgia; the story of two pals, a mutual crush, and the way a friendship can simply end. It's not a warning, a confession or an elegy - it's a recollection, a witnessing, a message in a bottle (for the sea to read).
On this track Reitherman sounds oddly like The Dismemberment Plan's Travis Morrison (ca. "You Are Invited", especially) - a speak-singing that's ruminative and playful, like when you're sitting on an unfamiliar couch, staring at the wall, remembering; and your left hand dangles off the side, dangles without your thinking about it, and it strokes and pets and moves across the fur of your dear friend's kittens.
I Guess I'm Floating has posted Moonbeams' other amazing-standout track, the "hit", the one I almost wrote about, and it's a song called "Lolita".
[buy Moonbeams (it's pretty exceptional)]
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Georges Brassens - "Le Gorille". A song of up-and-down acoustic guitar and a good-natured, kids'-song refrain: "Gare au gorille!" (Watch out for the gorilla!) It also happens to be the tale of an escaped & sex-starved gorilla, his impressive anatomy, and the dilemma he faces when all the pretty young women flee - leaving just a grandmother and a (male) judge to choose between. (Full lyrics in French, and in English translation.) Brassens rhymes with the gusto of a randy limericist, and enunciates with all the panache of Joanna Newsom - albeit in the language of love.
[buy]
Posted by Sean at May 29, 2007 1:15 PMthis is super sweet stuff....i love the comparisons.
Posted by ferrara at May 29, 2007 6:53 PMdug the TMTS album. lolita is certainly my favorite track for now but the album is the type that evolves over time as different threads capture different audio-rhythmic attentions. i also liked "girlfriend's car."
Posted by djette at May 29, 2007 7:15 PMTMTS is dope! His young sensualism makes my ears feel good in a fresh, new way. Can't wait to hear more!
Posted by adk at May 29, 2007 7:26 PMI can't believe both blogs could only cover tracks #1 and 2. There's 15 songs of goodness on that piece! I like 4,5,7,9 and 14 a lot too.
Posted by B-Rite at May 29, 2007 8:19 PMyea STG! i saw these guys play recently at Seattle's Tractor Tavern -- best venue in town, hands down -- and they totally owned it that night. hope to see em again soon. great stuff.
Posted by matt at May 29, 2007 8:48 PMA word to the wise --- "Moonbeams" is a banquet of goodness, far beyond these couple of tracks. It's worth every fraction of every penny it costs. Which isn't even that much. I think Baskerville Hill is definitely an up-and-comer, what with TMTS, Black Bear, and Husbands, Love Your Wives all under one umbrella.
Posted by S. Heath at May 30, 2007 9:35 AMI recommend. If this Statue was ebay user I would give glorious feedback.
Posted by Tobias Xenakis at May 30, 2007 12:21 PMtotally good write up you guys. never heard of this one and love the piece you did on it. definitely hear the travis morrison thing a bit in the vocals, but a bit less manic crazy guy voice than that. really good tip off on this tmts stuff tho, you still da man sean, always love the gramophone pieces! respek!
- john t.
Posted by john. at May 30, 2007 2:00 PMBrassens! Sweet.
It reminds me of car trips with my parents when I was young.
It's so unusual to read about George Brassens on a blog lol I grew up listening to his stuff (my mother was a big fan) and i've got some of his stuff loaded on my MP3 player in fact. Great lyrics, though it really works better if you are fluent in french, as some of it doesn't translate too well into english.
Posted by Nat JM at May 31, 2007 5:27 PMThe TMTS "moonbeams" album is somthing very unique and fresh.. the songs that are on the album are tight and well composed.. the ambient sounds that he uses are tasteful and not over the top..they seem to blend seamlessly into all of the tracks... tmts lyrics are innocent(in a good way) and intelligent... this album will go far..
Posted by joe at May 31, 2007 7:52 PMIt's unfortunate that more consideration wasn't taken for the rest of "Moonbeams" in your post, Sean. I've been tossing it about in my car for over a month now, and as mentioned above, the beast is a genuine shape-shifter. I feel like the range of feeling achieved there, as with many albums, isn't lent credit when a single track is lifted. I definitely enjoyed those first few tracks the most upon my first couple of runs thorough, but now I feel more compelled by the heavier midsection, especially when tracks eight and nine bleed that scratchy lead like ink.
Maybe you don't feel this way about "Moonbeams," Sean, but I wonder if you ever find yourself having to represent a whole with a piece, on the blog? Maybe you've also found some albums whose bridges between songs, references, concepts, messages become clear with the unraveling and conclusion of the whole album, proper? Maybe it's the job of (you) the blog author to bridge that gap between one or two particular tracks and an holistic vision of the album on which they reside.
As ever, I can't not love yours and everyone's posts here. It's great that our local Baskerville Hill has caught your panoramic hawk's eye for the underrepresented. If you haven't already, I think you might be taken with Black Bear, also from BH records. Salutations, and keep fighting the good fight! --S
Posted by Sean at June 4, 2007 1:11 PM
and it will begin playing. All songs are also available to download: just right-click the link and choose 'Save as...'
