Umbrella Tree :: The Letter C

RIYL: Flaming Lips, David Byrne, Flotation Toy Warning, Cloud Cult, Broken Social Scene

Sounds Like: Concept albums: not just for Prog anymore.

A Few Words: I get my music in a myriad of ways, most of it dubious and downright sneaky. But sometimes I manage to procure a legitimate review copy of an album. It just so happens that my Twitter obsession helped me fill the shoes of "honest blogger" for once. If Twitter needs another success story, I'm willing to throw Umbrella Tree into the pile. By following a fan's tweet, I got in touch with the band and was very soon getting an earful of their latest album, The Letter C.

At first blush the album appears to revolve around a nautical theme. Swaying 3/3 signatures will suddenly shift like the seas into rockier, more disjointed patterns. And with track names like "Ocean Sober", "Starfish", and interludes called "Periscoper" (A through C) it's easy to assume they're taking us down in a lemon-tinged submersible. The lyrics, however, tell a darker story.

Despite the cover art, The Letter C isn't about going to sea; it's about what happens to the rest of us. And while the ocean is an oft used metaphor in music, its depth promises continuous revelations. Swimming among the arias and ballads, the bold melodies and orchestral accompaniments, we hear from characters in the tone of their own broken colloqualisms. In this way, Umbrella Tree casts its players with heartfelt imagination; players who, like those living in a small fishing village, exhibit two primary emotions: hope and aloneness.

The Letter C--a two-disc set including a DVD full of videos--is a troubling album masquerading as a comedy. And like an actress or widow, it puts on a brave face and steps into the light.

Band :: Umbrella Tree

Album :: The Letter C

Song :: Uncle William

Comments

s. said…

Wants

02 August, 2009

Okkervil River, Wellington, New Zealand :: Live Music Review

There are energetic drummers, and then there is Travis Nelson. Truly, he is 'Animal.' Okkervil River albums have so much personality, the songs themselves become characters: players, people in the guise of animals or gods (and who can tell the difference sometimes?). And like watching a melodrama, we are witness to emotions that heave and plummet with frightening force. The songs can be drunken youth: the rotund boots on their feet knocking wildly on every surface. Or they can be villainous and smart, full of smiles and wishing-you-well up to the second they thrust the dagger into your belly. Pitched, lust-crazed, calculated: that is one half of an Okkervil album. The other emotion is equally intense in its thick, slow agony: the eternity it takes to remove the knife, knowing you have it all to do over. And so it goes: soaring, drunk, angry, knife, stab, agony, pull-it-out-and-let's-do-it-again. At the San Fransisco Bathhouse in Wellington, New Zealand, on a crisp early a

Daft Punk :: Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Somehow winter still has her claws in the Pacific Northwest. It's almost May, and we're forecast snow this coming weekend. Snow! (I'll spare you my usual tirade about what physically impossible acts may be performed on this particular part of the country, my own little corner of hell.) In any event, we were teased by 80 degrees over the past weekend, only to be thrust back into the 50s and below (with rain!) immediately after. Needless to say, it has not been happy times. I am on day three of a nonstop Neko Case marathon, and, while it is indeed comforting, Neko tends to be a little, dare we say, dark ? Sometimes you just need to take pause and make your own sunshine, or perhaps be steered to some on YouTube , as is certainly the case here. (Even though I firmly believe that YouTube is leading to the complete downfall of Western Civilization, and exposing the ugly underbelly of the American experience, I can sometimes forgive it. Times like this.) Back story? Dunno. Two fre

White Rabbits :: It's Frightening

Band :: White Rabbits Album :: It's Frightening Song :: They Done Wrong / We Done Wrong Sounds Like: The Midwest strikes back. RIYL: Spoon, The Walkmen, Tapes 'n Tapes A Few Words: White Rabbits (the band) is living in NYC, it's true. However, they are, by all accounts, from the Midwest. This is only a point worth mentioning because I am also from the Midwest, so we have a lot in common that way. Which is to say we have an inherent understanding of vast distances, wind, and non-existent public transport (unless you count Chicago). White Rabbits could also be that band you know you've heard of, but can't remember. For all their PR efforts it's amazing how easily they continue to slip under the proverbial radar (not sure if "radar" is an acronym when used in a cliche, but I'm guessing not). For example, they've been on NPR's "World Cafe" and on Letterman. Furthermore, they played Glastonbury in 2007 PLUS their new album, It'

Duck & Cover :: Indie rock music writing from Arcade Fire to the Zygotic Minci

Search This Blog