I was listening to old songs of ours last night, digging out dusty CDs and reminiscing and it lightly shocked me that I’ve recorded so much stuff and it all has a certain quality. None of it mixed properly or professionally but alive and quirky and rather lovely if I do say so. I might put the odd track up somewhere. Need to listen again.
You know when you discover a band and realise you really like them? It’s a great feeling isn’t it. But oftentimes you discover them halfway down the line. Someone played Plans by Death Cab For Cutie and I just knew throughout the first play that there was something going on. I have played that album many, many times since then. But I think I started to see them as one of my favourite bands when I heard The New Year, first track on Transatlanticism. It has a quality that I want to capture for one of our tracks – an urgency coupled with an irresistible hook and short enough that you mourn its passing while it’s still playing. I struggled with Transatlanticism for a while, it’s a case where my brother’s philosophy about albums was spot on – really good albums take ages for you to get into, not the first listen, not the fifth listen, but eventually it gets there and you realise it’s one of the best things you’ve ever heard. Given the luxury of hindsight I would have gone in order and bought the albums chronologically. I’m about to chase down their early albums and get The Open Door ep. I love so much about their music, the sound, the lyrics, but it’s the feeling that the music gives me that is the most special thing – it’s not easy to get that feeling into music.
http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/
Here’s a great video accompanying a great song by the band Hope and Social used to be (I still want to remix DWYM, guys!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POBjq5z1tb8
And here’s a touching short film…about a plastic bag:
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