Sometimes I
have a short attention span when it comes to music. For me,
the best and most enjoyable songs are three minutes or less.
The bonus is when that song is so good, it makes you giddy
playing it again and again. One example of this is the new
single, You Could Be Tiger, from
Austin's "shimmerpop" quartet
She Sir. It's a special summer
release available as a free download and it will not be
found on their upcoming album.
The track clocks in at two minutes 19 seconds, and as soon
as it ends, it's hard to resist hitting the repeat button.
Its hook filled pleasures got my attention last year when
they introduced it into their live set. I remember a random
moment one day where I could hear a snippet of it playing
repeatedly in my head before I even knew the name of the
song. I think that's what you can call an earworm. Sparkling
guitars, light as air harmonies, and tambourine hooks float
you into dream pop bliss. The song asks you "would you go
there?" and without hesitation, I know that answer is a yes.
:She
Sir - You Could Be Tiger:
I try not to
let my regular daytime work schedule prevent me from going
to shows during the work week, but it can still be a
challenge to muster the energy and motivation to get out
even if you know all the bands are worth your time and
money. During the month of August, I highly recommend
enduring a little bit of sleep deprivation to check out the
Wednesday night residency of Shakey Graves at the
Parish.
I first saw one
man blues folk
act (songwriter Alejandro
Rose-Garcia) about a year ago and his performance
immediately made a impression on me. I love the striking
simplicity of the vintage acoustic guitar and makeshift drumkit made out of a suitcase intertwined with gravelly,
and the raw vocals and heartfelt, memorable melodies are
great as well. One thing I noticed is that people in the
audience actually listened and were attentive while he
played. At the Parish last Wednesday things were a little
rowdier with people in the audience enthusiastically singing
along and stomping on the floor; the affection and
camaraderie between performer and audience was mutual.
Word of mouth is definitely behind the growing following of
Shakey Graves. I highly recommend seeing him this month
before he heads out on a West Coast tour in late September
opening for He's My Brother She's My Sister. If you've never
seen him before, the Parish residency is an ideal
opportunity to see him. Chances are you'll be smitten enough
to catch a repeat performance.
-
-
Unless
otherwise expressly stated, all text in this blog and any
related pages, including the blog's archives, is licensed by
John Laird under a
Creative Commons License.
