I’m going to be honest. I tend to fixate. Sometimes it’s on
a new item of clothing (have you ever
bought a new shirt and proceeded to wear it every single day? Yeah, you know
what I mean.), and sometimes my gaze is set on a person (usually of the opposite
sex), but most often I’m locked in on a new record, a recently
discovered band, or a live show I’ve just seen. This week has been a real doozie on the musical-fixation-front and I’ve
got three goodies to share with anyone who’s in the market for a new obsession.
The band you won’t be
able to get enough of: Frightened
Rabbit. They are by no means a “new” band, but they are relatively
new to me and to many other music fans in the States. Their album Midnight Organ Fight has been the soundtrack to my entire summer and I was struck silly this week by the announcement that they are heading out on tour with Death Cab for
Cutie and the Spinto Band. Considering that heavy-hitting bill, it is obvious I’m not the only person with Frightened Rabbit fever.
The live show that will
haunt your dreams: Bon Iver. Justin Vernon and his band make
painfully beautiful music and their live show is utterly breathtaking. Still touring on the album For Emma, Forever Ago, I got to see them play live last week and have literally been dreaming about it ever since. Justin told the audience that he believes he has finally found the perfect
band configuration. Having seen them play once before as a 3-piece, I couldn’t agree more that the current five-person line-up is just about perfect. The band’s performance was precise yet soulful, and the entire
sold-out crowd stood pin-drop silent for most of the show. If you go to many live shows then I don’t need to tell you how special that is. Fixate on your nearest record store and secure yourself a ticket for Bon Iver’s fall tour.
Check out Bon Iver Live in August:
The record that will go
into constant car, desk, and home stereo rotation: Johnny Flynn – A Larum. I am utterly riveted by this doll-faced British folkie and his songs. Johnny’s
writing touches on the melancholic beauty of Fionn Regan (a former fixation of mine) and the lyrical profundity of a young Bob Dylan. Not only have I been spinning this disc non-stop, but my eyes are firmly fixed on a date in the very near future when Johnny Flynn will roll through town on tour with Laura Marling.
Go here to check out a video of Johnny Flynn discussing A Larum
–Shelby Earl
