Matson Jones - "Welcome Back, Mr. Audio-Technica"

Both songs come to you today courtesy of Roger B.'s recommendations. They are low-fi in the worst way (in digital compression, not in recording quality) but the excitement of what they promise comes through. The first is from Matson Jones, a 4-piece of 2 cellos, a bass, and drums. Their formal make-up, however, is forgotten as soon as the song starts. It struts out the door with a little c'mon wave back at you.

Recorded well, they could really play up that scary edge that they have: those stabbing cellos could be big metal doors that rapidly open and close in a pattern, so that you have to time it just right to get past them. This song could be a fortress if they wanted it to. And I want them to want it to.

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No Dynamics - "Josephine Baker"

If the first song has a strut, this song shows it a thing or two about being so cocksure. The whole band plays their instruments on treadmills facing the audience, so they are literally running at you as they play. No, they don't do this, but they should.

My best adjective for this, both a strength and a fault, is "relentless". So, it's a cool feeling for this song, like being punched in the same place twenty times, but seeing them live it got kind of tiresome. Unlike the Fiery Furnaces, they don't have a record that I can learn (and love) before seeing them play a samey set at a show. So I guess my one criticism of this band is that they have no dynamics.

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I'm not posting this. I just feel like I can't go a day these days without a sad song. I miss my mother, my sisters, and my best friend.