ARTIST: Eulogies
TITLE: Tempted to Do Nothing
LABEL: Dangerbird
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 178kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 13m total
RELEASE DATE: 2008-10-07
RIP DATE: 2008-10-01
Track List
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1. Bad Connection 3:26
2. Is There Anyone Here? 4:04
3. Tempted To Do Nothing 3:16
4. Two Can Play (featuring Nikki 2:20
Manniger of Silversun Pickups)
Release Notes:
Feelings are easy. Abstract and ethereal, but theyÆre as natural as being alive û intuitionÆs second cousin. Giving those feelings a concrete voice, then, is the real fight. WeÆre all so very human. We possess a never-ending capacity for love, but we get nervous, we get lazy, we take each other for granted. We save sentiments for some other time. By then maybe itÆs too lateùmaybe the object of your emotion has left your life for good.
ôEulogies for me is not about talking about someone whoÆs dead,ö says Eulogies bandleader Peter Walker. ôItÆs saying those things that someone would say only at that moment but wish they had said right now. ThatÆs what IÆm preaching to myselfù donÆt be quiet. I canÆt survive down that road.ö
On October 7th, Dangerbird will release EulogiesÆ four-song EP entitled Tempted To Do Nothing, which will be followed by their upcoming full-length album, Here Anonymous, due out Spring 2009. The music on both releases imparts an intimacy of emotion thatÆs normally all too easy to shy away from. Everyone whoÆs ever loved anyone knows the process isnÆt easy, but it is necessary. EulogiesÆ songs struggle with broken-down communication, the weight of bad habits, the fear of being alone. That struggle is universal, and itÆs presented within the music with a directness thatÆs both stark and beautiful.
ôI think self-limitation is such a great thing,ö Walker says. ôIt lets you dig in a little bit more instead of changing things for every mood or song. It forces you to manipulate what you have in your hand rather than try to grab at something else.ö
With Chris Reynolds on drums, Tim Hutton on bass, plus Walker on guitar and vocals, Eulogies renders vivid scenes with a minimalist palette. Written during a Fall 2007 U.S. tour with Film School, the songs on Here Anonymous are deceivingly simple. Riding warm, well-worn instrumental tones and WalkerÆs patient, understated vocals, they build a consistent mood over the albumÆs 12 songs.
ôWeÆre not just going in and recording an A-side and a B-side,ö Walker explains. ôI love to put a record on and thatÆs the feeling IÆm gonna get for 40 minutes. But itÆs gotta be exciting, too.ö
To that end, Walker shifts tempos and instrumentation and brings along the occasional guest. ôTwo Can Playö opens with a gorgeous, dreamy groove, and soon Walker and Nikki Monninger of Dangerbird bandmates Silversun Pickups are finishing each otherÆs soft-sung verses. The haunting organ sound on ôStranger Calliopeö was achieved via a Casiotone keyboard layered over a live flautist. Songs build momentum from one to the next with meticulous track sequencing; drama is evoked not through volume or intensity but subtle counterpoints in composition. ThereÆs a gentle, knowing tension to the music that speaks to the bittersweet push and pull of everyday living and dying.
ôI see a lot of these songs as being really positive,ö Walker says. ôInstead of æWoe is me,Æ IÆm lifting myself up and IÆm trying to share that a little bit. In general the subject-matter can be dark, talking about loss or being alone, but really itÆs all optimistic.ö
The result is melancholy music thatÆs upbeat, a record of specific personal intent that speaks to us all. Eulogies offers catharsis; a musical tradition thatÆs ageless and inviolate. Here Anonymous snatches a moment out of that continuum for us to share, here and now.
Full Length album Here Anonymous set for release Spring æ09.