#filardo

  WHY YOU SHOULDN'T MISS THEM

Longtime friends Lauren Morgan and Jordan Shih have been recording on and off together for several years. Their latest project, Sales, takes influence from sampling and vocal as well as instrument improvisation. On January 31, 2014 (the first day of Chinese New Year), the duo released their acclaimed track, "Chinese New Year." CMJ touted the single: "It’s a sandy, sashaying tune with singer Lauren Morgan’s slightly cooing vocals skipping over upbeat guitars and a little synthy buzz. At least the Year Of The Horse is sounding pretty good so far." Stereogum praised the track, saying "[Chinese New Year is] a breezy tropical track that’s carried by Lauren Morgan’s wispy vocals." September 2014 saw the subsequent announce and release of their debut EP, SALES, featuring a remix of "Chinese New Year" by fellow Orlando native, XXYYXX . ThrdCoast said: "SALES has mastered the art of simplicity with this EP. Each track has its own, distinctive character, yet the band has been able to achieve that while maintaining cohesion throughout. There’s definitely a quality of pop accessibility, but just enough roughness around the edges to keep things interesting. All in all, while it’s mostly just a repackaging of their singles, the band’s debut has certainly impressed both aesthetically and technically." 

WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE  

WHY YOU SHOULDN'T MISS THEM

Songwriters Samira Winter and Nolan Eley first earned acclaim in their Boston band Infinity Girl. But a new side project, Winter, landed some especially positive feedback, so the duo decided to relocate to LA and round out the band with two more members. Known for their wild floral headpieces, bright colors and summery music, Winter has opened for notable and like-minded acts such as Bleached and Cherry Glazerr. Winter will release their upcoming full-length Supreme Blue Dream on February 24th through Lollipop Records, home to Corners, The Drums, Thee Oh Sees and Mr. Elevator & the Brain Hotel. Be on the look out for Winter's upcoming release and show at The Echo later this month!  

WHEN

Filardo – UNKNOWN Sessions (Bridgetown Records)

I tend to dislike reviews that spend a lot of time talking about how an artist’s record is a bricolage of different influences and records from the past. It’s hard for me not to do this with Filardo, not because he’s creating some ultra-unique synthesis of music styles that is going to blow yer mind. Rather, Tom Filardo, the man behind the solo project as well as former bands like Bouquet and Total Noise, uses complimentary music genres and techniques from past musical zeitgeists like Tin Pan Alley, fingerstyle picking, and the tender lyricism of the 60s pop masters like Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, and James Taylor to create a 5 song tape that packs a songwriting punch. These songs are truly for those who appreciate great songwriting, beautiful winding melodies and intriguing harmonic action provided nearly exclusively by Tom’s gently fingerpicked electric guitar. While he has a nimble dexterity on his fretboard, he doesn’t rely on flashy musicianship to captivate the listener. His hands traverse the entire length of the neck to chose the perfect chord and leading melody to buoy his gliding melodies and plaintive delivery. His harmonic choices belie a keen ear and expansive harmonic vocabulary rivaling Tin Pan Alley masters like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Cole Porter but with the graceful guitar transitions of James Taylor and Paul Simon (especially his solo career 70s-era albums).

This session was recorded at The UNKNOWN in Anacortes, Washington with a few friends stepping in to help including Gregory Campanile, Stephen Steinbrink and Phil Elverum, with Nicholas Wilbur engineering. The backing band, who plays on everything except the first two tracks, provide a subtle and strong aura for these songs to develop into off-beat lounge music with the strongly meditative power of a folk singer. Mixing in vibraphones, atypical drum patterns, and deeply melodic bass, Filardo’s band opens up a floating space in time without resorting to typical jazz backing band or singer-songwriter backing band fluff. The placement of every note and melody is intentional throughout the record, from the snare accents to the Dirty-Projectors-esque dancing vocals harmonies of “go without reservations” on An Uncertain Time to the fret-climbing ending of Yesterday’s Cup that caps off with field recordings of “birds chirping” (as written in the lyrics).

The lyrics bend and twist through Tom’s artfully arranged stories, coming back around to enough familiar melodies to call it pop music, but intricate enough to qualify as Romantic-era classical art songs or heady Tin Pan Alley ballads. Although the lyrics sound dense, they speak to major tropes of pop and DIY music but in artful new ways. Lion’s Heart explores self-perseverance and striving through the bummers in life- especially juxtapositioned with the previous track, subtitled Bummer Surf Instrumental. It also doubles as the perfect closing song at shows when Tom bids farewell to the audience on a hopeful note. He captures the innocence and humble beauty of Brian Wilson’s songwriting through the tender lyrics of Valentine but also divines esoteric visions of contemporary life on the last two tracks. An Uncertain Time circles back to the theme striving for “heights already reached in conception” (or alternatively, dreams of people struggling in oppression of any kind), while he mystically surveys the physical decay of modern urban spaces in White Cube.

This all-too-short session covers plenty of ground but doesn’t stray too far off the map stylistically or sonically, but instead explores the diverse geography of melodic and harmonic choices available to talented songwriters like Tom Filardo. Although it can feel minimal, and definitely explores the empty spaces of music, the presentation of the songs feels complete and well put-together. It takes a bit of patience to fall into groove with these tracks, they can seem complicated or long-winded to yer average punk. However, each consecutive spin of the record reveals more depth and ingrains the idiosyncratic melodies into yer mind.

Having a Birthday Party next week, feat. Dublab DJs!  Invite by my sweetheart, Tom: 

Dear cherished homie,

It is with deep and bubbling pleasure that I send congratulate you from the future for so thoroughly enjoying an exuberant night of celebration in honoring the annual recognition of one of the cosmos' greatest creations: MALLY JOOOOOONES!!!

Remember how two of Mally's favorite DJs blasted your gray matter, rumbled your bladder (full of sweet adult nectar), and solved all that was the matter? Oh wait you don't because YOU haven't done it yet, but I have, because I'm in the future and I can PROMISE you that you DO IT, and LOVE IT. Not a matter of if but when, my homie of homies. As a matter of fact the matter of WHEN is outlined below in all it's specific it-ness to ensure fulfillment of your righteous destiny of total fun. TEST YOUR MIGHT. SLAY THE NIGHT (with us [celebrating Mally]). The honorable MJ will be there starting at 9:30pm!

Love to all creatures,

Alright people, remember when the radio was real good, remember when one song was just as important as an entire record? Well here at Holy Page we do too and that is why we are dropping this amazing three tape cassingle box set featuring some of our favorite pop singer songwriters! Julie Byrne, Ever Ending Kicks, and Filardo all slay it really hard here. Bump it now or bump it later, most of all, keep it real!

<a href="http://holypagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/enter-the-edit-suite" data-mce-href="http://holypagerecords.bandcamp.com/album/enter-the-edit-suite">Enter the Edit Suite by Filardo</a>

experimental folk pop from Tempe, Arizona

http://filardo.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Filardo/295214043832119

http://holypagerecords.bandcamp.com/