I think it could probably be said (and in saying it, one would be speaking the truth) that those of us who prefer and listen to this thing known as independent music, share just as much of a love for certain record labels as we do our favorite bands. I’ve confessed my love for Hometapes and likely, that love harks back to my own stint in the creative world. It makes sense, though — those of us that are independent types in life have a hard time gettin’ down with Katy Perry on a serious level. As such, our music needs to be on the same playing field as we are. It’s struggling, it’s real and deep, and it takes time. The music I love, in sheet music and lyrics, is not unlike my life. It looks simple sometimes but it sure as shit ain’t.
Record labels. Time and time again I find that the bands I’m falling in love with and as such, leaning upon, share a select few labels. The aforementioned Hometapes, Constellation, Merge, Listening Party, Autumn Tone, Forest Family, et al., consistently put out albums I can be fairly certain I’m gonna dig. It’s also no surprise to me that the bands that I love tend to have geography in common. In other news, I need to fucking move.
Included in that list of lovely labels doing right by the music is Yer Bird Records. Thanks to Yer Bird, I have White Pines.
All sorts of beautiful words can be attributed to White Pines, The Falls: beauteous, first rate, striking. Any synonym for stunning will do. Making fantastic music, contrary to what some believe, is about more than the words. It’s about the music, the usage of voice, and most of all (I think) about the vibe. It’s good enough to hear someone sing about life and love but if it’s not personal to the artist and if I don’t feel that, then how does an artist expect it to be personal to me? And why would I listen if it was not?
At its best, The Falls feels like my own flesh. At it’s worst, it feels like my diary (if I had one). That is to say, every speck of it, feels like something I could really OWN, and that feeling was present even upon my first blessed listening. Emotion and sentiment, people: two awesome bits that seem to be missing in a shit ton of today’s music are present here and they are present in droves, drowning out the light and at the same time, pushing us all towards it.
For now, I’m immersing myself in White Pines, as Yer Bird has suggested. Immersing doesn’t seem to be a word that works here, though. What works? Drowning.
Listen to some new (and old) White Pines below. Put on your life vest first.
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White Pines :: Woods [MP3]
White Pines :: Wolves Will Shiver [MP3]
BUY The Falls :: LISTEN to A Face Made of Wood EP :: MYSPACE
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