by Stephen Swett

Three years removed from his last full-length album, Canadian sensation Jeremy Fisher follows through with his most complete album yet. Released on October 25th, Flood is an outstanding collection of indie-folk tunes that will leave you craving more from this Dylan-esque singer-songwriter.

Jeremy Fisher began his musical career with the independently released Back Porch Spirituals in 2001. Essentially a tribute to Fisher’s greatest influence Bob Dylan, each track features lively acoustic guitar melodies and an accompanying harmonica. There is even a tune found here called “Song For Robert Zimmerman”. The sound, however, is raw, and most of the songs are pretty similar. A terrific debut, but Fisher would have to break away from his imitation of Dylan if he wanted to make an impact on the music world.

Moving along, his next work, Let It Shine, was released in 2004 to a smattering of fans, but this album would push Jeremy Fisher into the limelight for the first time. He finally broke away from traditional folk, employing a variety of instruments to supplement his superb guitar riffs. Several Canadian radio stations awarded his single “High School” significant airplay over the next year, spreading his name to the masses.

With an ever-growing fan base, Jeremy Fisher did well to keep his followers in awe with his third full-length album, Goodbye Blue Monday, released in 2007. Simply put, this is one of my favorite albums of the past couple years. Every song hits me like a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, and I feel completely satisfied after listening. The choruses are innately addicting, but unlike modern pop songs these do not get tiring or overplayed.

Like many Jeremy Fisher listeners, I was curious how one could possibly follow up such a masterpiece as Goodbye Blue Monday and, to be honest, was not expecting a comparable encore. Jeremy is now shoveling my words back into my mouth. Flood is fantastic, and it is clear now that Jeremy Fisher has fully grown into an expert singer-songwriter. His lyrics are clever and rich, while his melodies are still intoxicating. It is impossible not to sing along to his catchy choruses as well. It’s hard to imagine that former Bob Dylan-wannabe Fisher could transform his sound so completely into an individualized act. Now that he has found his own voice, this Canadian journeyman definitely has the talent to rise to the top of the indie music scene.

The album opens with the single “Shine A Little Light”, a delightful track that lends itself to being the single as it is probably the most conventional song of the collection and, therefore, fit for a wider audience. But that does not mean the song lacks spirit or energy. What makes the song even better is Jeremy Fisher’s homemade music video, featuring his iPhone.

The next track is called “Naked Girl” and is about exactly that. Despite the near immaturity of the song’s topic, Fisher is surprisingly able to blend profound lyrics with incredibly poppy ones. In one moment, Fisher sings, “Everybody wants to see a naked girl,” which I hope needs no explanation. Later on he sings, “The shadow of a shadow is the sun itself,” which had me thinking for a while after I heard it.

Next is the tune “Laissez Faire,” which is less of a critique on Western political-economic systems and more of a Vampire Weekend-like reggae-rock track. Once again, the chorus pulls the song together, and we now have three songs which are all in the running for the best on the album. What follows is the ukulele-driven “Come Fly Away”, which is best described as fun to listen to. It may seem like a lazy adjective to use, but once you hear it you’ll know what I mean.

The fifth song on the album, “Nothing to Lose,” sounds like it’s straight off Bob Dylan’s Infidels album. Fisher’s piano playing matches his talent on the guitar in this slower, uplifting ballad. The lyrics, “Life is just a speck in the sky, a teaspoon of honey, the blink of an eye,” bears a striking resemblance to Dylan’s simple yet enlightened verses.

“Alison” comes next and might be the best song on the whole album, although I could say that about every one. The infectious chorus carries the tune and leaves you wanting more. It’s gotten to the point where terrific and catchy choruses are just expected from Jeremy Fisher songs. How does this man keep churning out these unbelievable refrains song after song? Every band takes a track off here and there in order to fill in the gaps of an album, but Fisher maintains quality throughout.

Next we find “Morning’s Broke,” a beautiful and brilliant piano piece which offers a relaxing three minutes of listening. After that, however, Fisher reverts back to his immaturity with the track “On A Monday,” a song about “getting messed up on a Monday.” Once again, the chorus is supreme and lyrics down-to-earth, forming a tune that’s thoroughly enjoyable.

The simplicity of “Summer Rain,” Flood‘s ninth track, is refreshingly uplifting and bound to put a smile on your face. Next is a traditional folk jingle, “Umbrella,” which might easily be found on the Juno soundtrack if it were written a few years ago. Then, at the 02:40 mark of the song, Fisher switches drastically to a sing-a-long chorus which could have been a terrific song in itself. Jeremy Fisher ends strongly with “All We Want Is Love”, a song with a strong bass line and, (do I even need to say it?) a great chorus.

As a full compilation of tracks, Flood is extraordinary, drawing from a wide range of influences, and will hopefully cement Jeremy Fisher as one of the premiere indie artists to emerge this year. I fully recommend that you download this album. But be warned, once you listen to these songs you will be hooked on this Canadian musical talent for some time. Once believed to be a Bob Dylan impersonator, Jeremy Fisher has now found his own unique sound and should continue to impact the music world for a long time.

RIYL: Bob Dylan, Matthew Sweet, Kings of Leon, Kasabian, The Kooks, Tallest Man on Earth, The Dead Weather, The Black Keys

Jeremy Fisher – Come Fly Away

Jeremy Fisher – Cigarette

Jeremy Fisher – Shine A Little Light

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Two Gallants have not been very active since we last checked. An EP, The Scenery of Farewell, and their self-titled album were both released in 2007, and they remain the band’s latest material. This is a bit odd considering Adam Haworth Stephens and Tyson Vogel, the two longtime friends that comprise the duo, churned out three albums and two EPs from 2004 to 2007. It also remains unfortunate that, to many, the San Francisco-based indie-rockers remains best known for an incident in October 2006, where a police officer at their show tasered some band members and fans, including a 14-year-old that went into a seizure (a bit excessive?). That stole the show a bit from the duo’s music, which has always been a consistently great mixture of folk and blues. As expected from the hybrid, Two Gallants’ lyrical ability has always been astute, with topics ranging from racial segregation to political uprisings presented in an accessible and musically relevant manner. The lack of activity is also befuddling because their two most recent releases, The Scenery of Farewell and Two Gallants, were undoubtedly their best.

As it turns out, Two Gallants have actually been busy. Well, at least half of them. Stephens, the duo’s lead singer and songwriter, has crafted a noteworthy debut that reminds us of Two Gallants’ excellence, along with a higher emphasis on pop hooks, retrospective romanticism, radio-friendly allure. Stephens has a vibrant and emotive voice, complete with the nasally twang that supplies a domineering presence familiar to Two Gallants fans. The music on his debut solo release, We Live on Cliffs, is more subdued and relaxed than his previous work though, which may result in a polarizing reception among fans. The fairly simplistic “Second Mind” is not offensive in any capacity, but feels a bit forced as the album’s second entry. Its repetition wears on the listener, with the chorus lacking excitement that other efforts like “Praises in Your Name” and the vaudeville-like “The Cities That You’ve Burned” present infectiously. “Second Mind” is one of the bounciest, accessible tracks Haworth has written, but it is debatable whether or not that is a good thing. A little bit of a country twang, old-fashioned organs, and a sing-along hook make it one of the more linear efforts on We Live on Cliffs, but it is a good entry point for those familiarizing themselves with Stephens’ vocals. He has a crisp-clear delivery much like The Tallest Man on Earth’s Kristian Matsson, albeit with more of a nasally snarl and tendency for emotive variation. The storytelling allure is quite comparable between the two, though, even if Matsson’s instrumental prowess and intricacies are noticeably more involved.

The simple pluck of a guitar in “The Cities That You’ve Burned” before percussion emerges is just one of many building blocks that make it a memorable track. The blossoming from an acoustical track complemented by light keys into a full-out jam session of is indicative of both Stephens’ songwriting at its best and the talents of Grammy Award-winning producer Joe Chiccarelli. Indie-rock fans probably know him best from work with The Shins, Minus the Bear, and My Morning Jacket (Evil Urges), or from recent news that he is working on The Strokes’ upcoming fourth album. Those formidable acts are not a far cry from Stephens’ aim here, which is to produce an amiable mixture of pop and folk with as little pretension and as much accessibility possible. The lack of ambition on We Live on Cliffs is the only thing preventing him from the ranks of a My Morning Jacket or Minus the Bear. That is not to say it is entirely absent though, as we can see from Two Gallants and several key tracks on We Live on Cliffs that Stephens is certainly not incapable of producing intricately empowering material. Maybe they should pair him with a producer who takes more risks, rather than one who is technically proficient but stylistically lacking.

Another strong effort from the album that shows Stephens’ potential in a different light, “Elderwoods”, is presented with more vigor, electric guitars and organs leading the way. I would guess Stephens has admiration for the different styles of folk someone like Neil Young is able to masterfully present, as he appears discontent with straying in one vein of folk too long. On the nine tracks here, there a four subdued folk ballads (“Southern Lights” being the best), three electric-oriented like “Elderwoods” that show some fierceness and intensity, and two that stray somewhere in the middle. The highlights on We Live on Cliffs provide plenty of reason to follow Stephens, as this solo debut is one that displays his potential in an enjoyably accessible light. While the Young comparison comes strictly on the basis of attempts at stylistic variation within folk, it is evident that he has the right influences in mind and capacity of talent to go quite far.

RIYL: Two Gallants, Deer Tick, Tallest Man on Earth, The Good Life, Neva Dinova, The Felice Brothers, Okkervil River, Langhorne Slim, Bright Eyes, Son Ambulance, A.A. Bondy, Desaparecidos, Cursive, Port O’Brien, Murder by Death, Ghost Mice, Andrew Jackson Jihad

Adam Haworth Stephens – The Cities That You’ve Burned

Adam Haworth Stephens – Elderwoods

Adam Haworth Stephens – Praises in Your Name

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Although it can be classified as one of the most straightforward terms in music theory, timbre also holds the status as being one of the most audibly important. If music lacked timbre, it would be as if a language was running on one word or letter. No inherent differentiation in melodic content or instrumental accompaniment would make the art obsolete, along with the abolishment of technique or style. This hypothetical babble has little merit (simply because it will never occur), but it is also worth pondering if only for the artists that make such detrimental use of it. Calling your project Timber Timbre can be one way to show an admiration for the power of minimalistic differentiation, but the gripping form in which Timber Timbre is able to powerfully emit through the bare tweaking of folk, blues, and pop music is an approach that comes off more resoundingly than any name or description. Timber Timbre’s instrumental arsenal and emotional capacity most often sound like they have been generated by a deceased choir that is broodingly unaware of their non-living state, making it quite startling that the project is led by only one individual, Taylor Kirk. In combining his blues-oriented influences and tactful songwriting, he has created a project worth dying for.

Like many aspiring musicians, Kirk began his career by manufacturing a series of lo-fi, acoustic-based songs that originated from his bedroom in Toronto. Well, bedroom recordings aside, his official debut under the Timber Timbre name was actually recorded in a farm house near Ontario. Appropriately entitled Cedar Shakes, his debut involved both warmly reverberating acoustical progressions and a central lyrical focus on nature and its surroundings. Looking back on it, the 2006 release of Cedar Shakes could have very well fit in the transcendentalist mold of recent recordings by buzzed-about folkies like The Tallest Man on Earth and Horse Feathers. In a conventional development for most modern folk songwriters though, Kirk opted to explore new territory on his second album. Medicinals was released in 2007 with even more immediate recognition than its predecessor, despite prevalent stylistic modifications that included a higher emphasis on blues and a broader instrumental arsenal (with jazzy horns and allusions to strings). Though Medicinals was recorded in Kirk’s apartment, it showcased an impressive side of his songwriting that was only slightly touched upon in Cedar Shakes. No matter how bare his songs are in arrangements or melody, Kirk seems to have the power to compel listeners through his quivering voice, atmospherically relevant lyrics, and enchanting song craft.

Kirk has always been somewhat reluctant to classify his music as blues, even if the style has become the most predominant within his material. I suppose a part of his reluctance may be attributed to false stereotypes, as many new listeners appear to conceive blues as a style that does not have the ability to tread far from the basis of 12-bar-blues. Well, for the sake of these new listeners, I personally hope that Kirk continues to quell his stylistic reluctance, especially after the release of Timber Timbre’s third album. Apart from offering up eight highly enjoyable songs, the self-titled affair efficiently demonstrates how ambition and unconventionalism are perfectly recognizable qualities of the blues, as they always have been. A track like “Trouble Comes Knocking” can offer aspects of traditional blues from the get-go with a bass and harmonica simultaneously emitting a standard blues progression, but it is the way in which Kirk expands upon these conventional ideas that makes Timber Timbre’s third album Kirk’s best yet. Underneath the bass-led progression, one can hear the brooding cries of strings, a quality that tends to fade once Kirk’s vocals emerge. It is one of many ingeniously implemented tactics on the album, here serving to provide an inimitably haunting element at all times. When the guitars and keys arrive for the devilishly haunting chorus, it gets even better. With a yelp, Kirk concludes this section as he clears way for additional strings. For any fans of Southern gothic folk music, “Trouble Comes Knocking” should become an immediate favorite.

While the shrill keys and halted bass of “Lay Down in the Tall Grass” may initially to be borrowed more from Afro-pop than blues or folk, the entry of Kirk’s ethereal voice once again establishes the perfect meeting point between subdued blues and evolving folk. Like “Trouble Comes Knocking”, the chorus in “Lay Down in the Tall Grass” is primarily an expansion upon the original melody in the verse. Here, a shrill organ takes over the leading keys and Kirk’s voice raises in intensity, all while the bass remains generally similar. “I was born white, dry, and scaly, but you still took me home,” he sings. “Dreaming every night of you, shaking at the sight of you.” Whether the song serves as an ode to a figure of maternity or romantic love, there is little doubt concerning Kirk’s sincerity and emotional resonance. “Oh, I’ll be dreaming every night, I’ll be shaking at the sight of you,” he sings once more toward the conclusion, reaffirming the thematic focus over a melody that repeats itself until it becomes embedded in the listener’s head. Though one of the most stylistically unique tracks on Timber Timbre, it accomplishes subtle beauty through the things that fans of Kirk have become accustomed to: brilliant lyrical perception and cleverly infused build-ups.

The captivating opener, “Demon Host”, is more indicative of Kirk’s previous material with a solemnly acoustic opening over a series of clever metaphors, but – like most of the essential tracks on the album – it expands into something of a majestic beauty. “Here is a church, and here is a steeple,” he sings, just as the slight tinge of an organ can be heard under the acoustic guitar. “Open the doors, there are other people.” The theme that I gathered here is the comfort that one obtains from religion, even if it becomes detrimental to one’s perception of beauty in the world. But, like much of Kirk’s material, it is highly interpretable. The last minute or so, with its high-pitched progression of keys and backing choir of ghostly resonance, concludes a marvel of an effort that begins an album with plenty of similarly executed gems. After listening to this track, you will likely find it difficult to stop until the album finishes with the delicate “No Bold Villain”.

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Timber Timbre – Lay Down in the Tall Grass

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Timber Timbre – Demon Host

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Timber Timbre – Trouble Comes Knocking

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Out of this Spark Records

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In terms of style, March seemed to have it all. Whether you find yourself personally enamored with neo-psychedelia (Jim Noir, Fujifabric), throwback folk (The Tallest Man On Earth, Sera Cahoone), epic post-rock (Our Sleepless Forest), or straightforwardly infectious indie-rock (Hilotrons, The Pharmacy), I feel content in guaranteeing that this compilation will introduce to you at least a handful of enjoyable new artists who view style as a variable in the quest for success. Your taste would have to be admirably broad to fully enjoy all 15 artists, but I would be shocked if at least one does not fit your fancy. Oh yeah, spring is here, which also means that baseball is back. My embarrassing brackets suffered at the defeats of Georgetown and Duke and the crushing feeling leaves me even more ready to move on to the sport that I love most. Go Yankees.

01. Jim Noir – Happy Day Today (post)
02. Ane Brun – 10 Seconds (post)
03. Hilotrons – Deep River (post)
04. Phoebe Killdeer & The Short Straws – Let Me (post)
05. Fujifabric – Strawberry Shortcakes (post)
06. The Tallest Man On Earth – I Won’t Be Found (post)
07. The Pharmacy – Tropical Yeti (post)
08. Sera Cahoone – Runnin’ Your Way (post)
09. Hush the Many (Heed the Few) – Revolve (post)
10. Ghost Bees – Vampires of the West Coast (post)
11. Murder by Death – Comin’ Home (post)
12. Our Sleepless Forest – The Tinderbox (post)
13. Frightened Rabbit – The Modern Leper (post)
14. Micah Dalton – Looking For a New Way (post)
15. Sleepercar – A Broken Promise (post)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE COMPILATION>>>
(61.9 MB, .RAR file)

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Towering over the rest of us at a height of 8’6”, Leonid Stadnyk is the tallest living man in the world. It is a record that requires little endurance and skill to achieve, mainly relying on good (or bad) fortune. Still though, one has to respect the tolerance of the record’s holders; they commendably dismiss the nuisance of speculative public eyes watching their every move, demonstrating a form of patience and understanding that most people could not even begin to fathom. I doubt that Mr. Stadnyk would take harm to the name selection (as it actually proves rather complementary), but Swedish songwriter Kristian Matsson chose a bold name for his musical project: The Tallest Man On Earth. Considering that Matsson’s height appears to be normal, the name selection more appropriately relates to his intended style. It is often a nuisance whenever a critic calls a new and young artist a “beatnik”, but I suppose that it would be a somewhat suitable classification for Matsson. Despite a fresh and wavering scene that mainly dismisses gritty folk as a component of the past, Matsson has chosen to disregard the skeptics and carry on with a style that suits him the best, similar to the individualistic ideals of his namesake.

If you had read any article concerning Matsson prior to this one, you are probably aware of one comparison that is consistently evident. Dylan-like, Dylan-esque… yeah, you get the drift – Matsson sounds a bit like the folk legend. It seems that the tag has been granted to seemingly every folk songwriter with an acoustic guitar these days, but Matsson actually makes a case for a legit comparison. Playing a varied style of acoustical folk is one thing, but Matsson’s excelled lyrical prowess is where he shines most uniquely. Providing a cohesion of metaphorical imagery and anecdotal musings, Matsson’s emphasis on nature serves as a refreshing change of pace when compared to other, somewhat melodramatic songwriters. Though the transcendentalism of Thoreau and Emerson provided us with a similarly successful literary device for two centuries, the delivery is exceptionally suited for Matsson’s music. Appropriately enough, the talented Swede sounds nothing like the indie-pop the country has been stereotypically churning out enjoyably in massive numbers (which is why it is called a stereotype). In fact, I would have taken him for an American if I had not known prior of his geographical origins. His style of folk takes plenty of dues from rootsy Americana, with his soulful croon embodying the genuine ardency that western folk music has come to be known for.

Matsson made his debut last year with a 5-song EP. Released on Gravitation Records, it proved promising and brought the Swedish songwriter a variety of online praise. Because of the considerable acclaim it got in indie-folk circles, there was a substantial demand for a full-length shortly afterwards. After nearly a year, the wait is over. Matsson’s debut album, the bleakly titled Shallow Grave, was released on March 5th . Impressively enough, it is an improvement on his EP in its integration of more varied styles into a lyrical delivery that remains just as resoundingly effective. Folk is his primary classification, but Matsson also weaves in elements of finger-picked blues (Piedmont blues) to provide a reminder of artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Curley Weaver. To make the sense of nostalgia even more suitable, Mattson utilizes a form of production that relies on both his raspy vocals and instrumental minimalism. The lo-fi approach is overwhelmingly appealing when applied to Matsson, and it mainly has to due with the fact that his lyrics are constantly invigorating. Considering they play such a large role and are impossible to avoid due to the minimalist style of production, his poetic talent provides a breath of a relief.

The fact that Shallow Grave sounds like it was recorded on a random tape machine is part of its lo-fi charm; it is the same method that made the preceding EP so uniquely enjoyable. I admit that, like Dylan or any artist in a similar vein, not everyone will find themselves growing easily accustomed to Matsson’s vocal style. It has a sense of intimacy to it that usually only songwriters that are old in age and bountiful in experience encompass, being unconventional in the most broadest sense. I personally was enamored with it the first time I heard the opening track on Shallow Grave, the fantastic “I Won’t Be Found”. Rather than simply repeating “carpe diem”, Matsson signifies the importance of treasuring every moment in life, looking upon death as an imminent circumstance that can only be enjoyed if its preceding life was lived to the fullest extent. Over a fastidiously plucked guitar progression, he sings ardently and establishes time as a component that should be treasured. “Well if I ever get to slumber just like I’m old deep in the ground, hell, I won’t be found.”

“Into the Stream” features a more simplistically repetitive progression that is excelled by Matsson’s vocal melody and the slight melodic transitioning that takes place after each verse. This time around, Matsson tackles the obstacles in turning a fantasy into reality. Using natural elements like alternating weather with metaphorical significance, the values of societal perception are also put into question, eventually settling on circumstances that are widely dependent on the individual. The thoughts can generally be pinpointed as examples of transcendentalism, even if Matsson’s skill provides for verbal jousting that is occasionally too vaguely intricate to classify with confidence. If you choose to skip past Matsson’s lyrical talents and go straight toward his instrumental talents, “Pistol Dreams” is a great example of his talents on guitar. As far as recent folk artists go, I have heard very few that compare to Kristian Matsson’s raw skill as a lyricist and songwriter.

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The Tallest Man On Earth – I Won’t Be Found

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The Tallest Man On Earth – Into the Stream

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The Tallest Man On Earth – Pistol Dreams

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