姓名: MagneticFlowers 英文名:- 性别:男 国籍:- 出生地:- 语言:- 生日:- 星座:- 身高:- 体重:-
The Magnetic Flowers come across as a gloriously overstuffed indie rock force of nature, with its band members trading instruments and vocals with abandon as they deliver their highly original, melodically layered, and hyper-literate songcraft. The influence of groups like Okkervil River, Bright Eyes, The Decemberists and The Hold Steady are evident in the band’s sound, but are inadequate in capturing the group’s exuberant energy and vocal abandon. What is truly amazing about the group, however, is how often they go from careening rock n’ roll to subtly layered vocal harmonies or delicate guitar picking, from garage rock fervor to moments of chamber pop bliss. There seem to be no rules or limits to the band’s sound, only a willingness to follow each and every song down the proverbial rabbit hole.
The group was conceived by the two primary singer/guitarists and former roommates in the group, Jared Pyritz and Patrick Funk, but it owes a great deal of its final sound to their fellow songwriter, keyboardist and accordionist (and former bassist) Adam Cullum, whose seems to spin endless webs of melody and countermelody with his energetic keyboard riffs over every song. Cullum also adds a strongly unique voice to the group, and his ear for harmony and secondary vocal parts often kicks a song into overdrive. The same goes for the group’s relatively new bassist Albert Knuckley, who brings a melodic, old-school sensibility to his bass lines that give the group sonic grounding in Motown and classic rock territory. The final piece of the puzzle, and the band’s newest member, is drummer Evan Simmons, a classically trained percussionist, who, along with Knuckley, brings an incredible level of creativity and sense of adventure to the rhythm section. Given their individual strengths, it is easy to see how this group appears to be exploding at their musical seams.
Although they made their recording debut with 2007’s Presents Pasts and Futures, the group truly captures their unique dynamic on their sprawlingly titled latest, What We Talk About When We Talk About What We Talk About (the title is based on a collection of Raymond Carver stories). Featuring guest string and horn players, as well as Columbia’s resident guitar-god Josh Roberts, that augment the songs perfected in performances over the past year, the album is a powerful artistic statement worthy of recognition in the top echelon of the national indie rock scene. Bookended by songs that riff off the old gospel tune “I’ll Fly Away” (each in dramatically different ways), the album also includes the spitfire storytelling of “Southern Baptist Gothic” and “What She Said (To a Writer at a Party),” the emotionally wrought, quintessentially twenty something ballad “Northern Lights,” and a jazzy critique of hipster culture entitled “Talk Talk Talk Talk” that riffs on T.S. Eliot and self-awarely name checks Donnie Darko, Charles Bukowski, and a Tom Waits record. The record dips deep, both musically and lyrically, over it’s all-too-brief 8 songs, and shines upon repeated listens.
The band continues to present their live show on stages throughout the Southeast, so look for them at a venue near you soon.