The self-titled release by Baltimore's Eureka Birds late last year took out my feet from under me. From there the sound of the unsigned group has found its way to our friends and readers. At Philadelphia's North Star Bar, the six-man band's entrancing eloquence quivered beyond the surround brick walls, perhaps ushering in a new wave of fans.
Eureka Birds
About a year ago at the North Star Bar, we were smart/fortunate enough to catch Sea Wolf. Behind the vocals of Alex Brown Church and all of the well-timed and cleanly projected instruments, the show (not concert) of the year took place. Harnessing many similar aspects of their show as Sea Wolf, Eureka Birds glimmered behind Justin Levy for another memorable showcase at the hallway bar.
While Church and co. formed around a folk rock mystique, Eureka Birds integrated the same spacey feel of an acoustic show with a hollowed-out and edgy creation, courtesy of Levy's down-tempo and controlled keyboard work along with Dami Soh's winding cello play. When their synthesizer added to the keyboard and soft sticks hit the drums, the group most effectively projected their portentous presence. Add an electric guitar capable of a solo at any whim and a bass emptying the dead space and the music emitted a feverish tremor.
The songs "Oh My Dear" and "Goodbye Space and Time" commanded the most attention from the hour long set. Chants of "more cello" resounded from the back of the bar after Soh's cello whittled together the eerily uptight "Oh My Dear". In "Goodbye Space and Time" several guitar solos, lyrics that slowly faded in and out, and a jazz hall composition closed the set as our video below shows.
After talking with the group after the show, we found out this was their first trip up to Philly. They also mentioned plans to begin working on a new album and possibly take their act on the road full time. Eureka Birds currently have three shows slated for next month, including one with The Reign of Kindo, another group we have monitored since their formation in the wake of This Day & Age's end.
For more on Eureka Birds, check out their website and MySpace. To check out our review of their album, head here. The album is also on iTunes.
Missed our rundown of this year's best? See our top 30.
Many albums that didn't make our Top-30 list for the year, reached lofty places on other sites' lists. As our motto is, we won't saturate you with music we don't think is worth mentioning. The albums below were all quite good, but just fell below the best of the year.
MP3: Eureka Birds - Mars (buy)
MP3: Daniel Martin Moore - Stray Age (buy)
MP3: Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened (buy)
MP3: Nada Surf - Weightless (buy)
Here are MusicUnderFire's honorable mentions for 2008:
Not flashy. Not laced with catchy refrains. This Baltimore group caught our attention and has stuck with us since, thanks to a consistent debut album. We reviewed them and we liked them quite a bit. If you like an album off the beaten path, this is for you.
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Taking the first major step of 2008 was VW. Songs such as "A-Punk", "Oxford Comma" and "Campus" certainly earned this high marks for many and would have been higher if not for some transitional drawbacks.
The top singer/songwriter on our list for this year, Moore used his simplicity and songwriting talents only he could pull off. Although a heavy contender to make it in the top 30, Moore was found he could do only one type of songwriting style, but nail it every time. Stray Age was a cinch to listen through the whole way - perfect for a relaxing situation, not something you will want to put on your iPod to go to the gym. We particularly enjoyed "That'll Be The Plan". Outstanding effort by Sub Pop's newest songwriter.
Snow Patrol - A Hundred Million Suns
Snow patrol didn't particularly stun us this time around, but the album had enough versatility with some of their traditional poker hands to some longshots they took, which actually worked. If you've listened to SP as long as we have, "Chocolate" seems to be in heavier rotation than "Engines", but that could possibly change. Just like most Snow Patrol albums, this one is a grower. Many tracks veer in a different dirrection that their older albums, particularly their last track "The Lightning Strike: (i) What If This Storm Ends? / (ii) The Sunlight Through The Flags / (iii) Daybreak", a three part song, in which each part blends into the next. I'm not sure why they didn't do their whole album this way, but this is just one example of how the band is growing and reaching deeper into their creative interworkings.
Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
These youngsters are growing up quick, and as if you haven't noticed already, there's something special about them. Not only has the world of pop taken in "Sex On Fire", but the band managed to make a bit of consistency out of their name. Their listeners got another solid outing by Kings of Leon once again. Songs such as "Manhattan" and "Revelry" made this album that more intriguing. Although they did have some gems on here, KOL seem to have the same formula time and time again, when in fact we were never head over heels for it to begin with. This would be the only reason we could not keep it in with our favs of this year.
Greg Laswell - Three Flights from Alto Nido
An album laced with not just your run-of-the mill sappy singer/songwriter material, Greg Laswell had a bit of every emotion poured into his debut. Songs such as "Comes and Goes (In Waves)" are well orchestrated and much has to do with his classy label, Vangard. Laswells songs excelled in both the studio and on the road. There's not much to say about this album that hasn't already been said here.
Where A Weekend In The City left off, Intimacy took that and notched it up ten times, in terms of sheer loudness that is. The albums glory may be captured in the club-friendly "Better Than Heaven", but this album had too many pitfalls to be considered for our top albums. What did make this album great is the unbridled feel to the songs. Tracks such as "One Month Off" made for a great anthem for this album as did many other songs that followed the same raucous attitude. Bloc Party continues to put out albums with a few likable songs on each album.
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
One of the most influential albums for the first half of the year, Frightened Rabbit used many unorthodox methods of song. Perhaps its their folk-pop appeal, or maybe we liked them because we love Scottish bands. But no, FR was something quite special this year, and this list of 'almosts' also serves a purpose to show that other albums did not even make it into our 'honorable mentions' list. The Midnight Organ Fight was driven by some nifty songwriting by Scott Hutchison and backed by a talented band (sans bass). This is a well deserved spot in the midst of many other talented bands we've heard this year. (if you're looking for a Christmas song from Frightened Rabbit, check our short list of Indie Christmas Songs.)
Another album teetering on the brink of making it into our top albums of this year, Deerhunter put out a marvelous effort, yet didni't score enough songs for us to truly 'get'. Most notable from this album is "Nothing Ever Happened". It looks like this group's future is quite bright, so I would anticipate much to happen in their future.
Nada Surf - Lucky
Their latest album showcased why they are such a timeless group. Songs such as "See These Bones", "Beautiful Beat" and "Weightless" highlighted this addition to your Nada Surf collection. Nada Surf has quite a bit of experience and it shined on this album.
The setting here is important. A stormy, windy October night when the red rear lights of a pickup start to fade away - then Eureka Birds plays. Complete with the subtle whispers, dying chimes and the type of ambiance that opens the mind up, this Baltimore group hit the nail on the head with their self-titled debut album that released last month.
What Justin Levy (vocals, piano), Dave Rogoza (guitar) and Allin Hinton (keyboards, synthesizer) thought up, they delivered. With the help of Tyler Watkins (Margot and the Nuclear So and So's) in the recording process, not only did Eureka Birds capture a dynamic sound for the season, but they have also dipped into an expansive sound that enabled them to pick up Dami Soh (cello), Jason Hoffheins (drums) and Mike Passariello (bass) for their live act without missing a beat.
Any new listener to Eureka Birds can find comfort in that fact that the album doesn't need to be played all the way through to find a decent track. Every song works well on its own. The tracks that best present the group's mystical sound are "The Still Life", "Oh! My Dear" and "Dinosaurs".
Opening up the album in a slow motion groove, "The Still Life" exhibits just a morsel of the creative engineering behind the 11 tracks ahead. The use of a patient electric piano and simple drums set the pace for this track as it slowly winds along with Levy's lyrics of "All these crazy things you think". The addition of a metal rumble strip-sounding clip halfway through this song sends a relaxing, yet mystic feel that sets the mood and tempo for rest of the album.
"Dinosaurs" offers another imaginative look into the album, as it sings to dinosaurs acting like people. The whole concept lends to metaphors, but really any song about these long deceased reptiles that roamed the Earth works wonders for a wandering mind. To make the glue to this song stick stronger, Levy's vocals meet every rising fear the lyrics and slammed hi-hats create.
Over the course of this 11-track album, the electric piano does stand out a bit more than the other instruments, although with a such great number of instruments supporting it, each time the piano shows up, it comes across with a new supporting cast and overall sound. The complete list of instruments on this album includes: vibraphone, drums, xylophone, guitar, bass, violin, bells, trumpet, trombone, organ, tambourine, and regular, electric and electric pianos. This album also featured nine artists.
Eureka Birds has everything one could ask for from an indie rock band that leans towards a down-tempo approach. Harnessing the talents of so many artists outside of the original three places Eureka Birds in a class few bands can touch. Although Levy's vocals really are never exploited, they work for for the mood they sing in. As each song can stand alone, it should be noted that the flow of the album never throws a curve ball.
This album easily qualifies as one of the top albums of the year due to this concerted, quality effort loaded originality. Since it only was released in October, the staying power of the group's sound is still yet to be determined as they move forward as six and not three. Check out the mp3s below and let us know what you think.
MP3: Eureka Birds - Oh! My Dear (buy)
MP3: Eureka Birds - Dinosaurs (buy)
