Our producer for “Mode to Joy” (the Glint album) was a guy named Jordan Lehning. We met Jordan in Boston last year when we were interviewing potential producers and engineers for the aforementioned album. He came in and totally blew us away with us hip, Beck-meets-Brian Eno original music. He is a multi-instrumentalist to say the least, studied film scoring at Berklee, and comes from a very musical family: his dad Kyle is a well-known producer down in Nashville (where the family is from); his older brother Jason is an “everything man” (Jordan really is too, to be fair) and does producing, runs a mixing studio and has worked with Guster and Alison Krauss in this capacity (he also mixed our album), and plays keyboards; another brother Eric(?) makes movies… bottom line, I’m just a fan. I’ve met the guys, heard the music, and I totally support what they do. I just think they’re great. I was so encouraged, particularly after meeting Jordan and hearing his stuff, that someone our age was creating such intelligent and mature music. I am also in awe of both brothers’ mastery of a certain vintage synthesizer, the Juno 60, most notably used by the Cure, Flock of Seagulls, and the Eurythmics. Both Jordan and Jason very tastefully incorporate it into their music. I bought one months ago and am definitely not (yet?) of Lehning caliber.
Jordan fronts a band called Eureka Gold and Jason plays in a group called The Bees. Both have a bit of a Nashville twang to them but I wouldn’t call either a country act. Alright… one at a time.
The Bees (U.S.) – They have two albums out, “Starry Gazey Pie” and “High Society,” both of which I recently bought, the first of which I’ve been listening to these past few days. It’s pop, sure, but acoustic pop, -smart- pop (ha! …product placement), and without an “I’m-the-shit” lead singer… rather, most of the band sings, and the sound is very reliant on (vocal) harmonies, a big plus in my book. Some critics have compared them to the Beach Boys in this regard. Jason plays acoustic piano as well as the Juno. The guitarist/songwriter Dan primarily plays a 12-string guitar, which is a nice alternative. Fave cuts… “Gravity,” which I’ve been listening to non-stop for the past 48 hours, the slightly Floyd-ish “Sea of Stars,” and “High Society.” (P.S., they added the “(U.S.)” on to their name because there was a band in the U.K. of the same name)
Eureka Gold – A bit more “bombastic.” I’d describe the sound as indie rock and alt-folk-ish, even Beatles-esque at times. Jordan’s group adds an extra guitarist to the lineup, totaling 5 members. They rock more than The Bees but (like his brother’s group) also rely on vocal harmonies, and absolutely know how to mellow out. They’ve got one album out, “When I Was Golder,” and the whole thing is excellent. Very cohesive. Part of the maturity I see in both groups I’m sure comes from the fact that their songs average 3 minutes in length. And not (necessarily) because they’re trying for radio hits, no… because both understand and execute the “less is more” notion. Brevity is the soul of wit, and Jordan is musically a very witty guy. Eureka Gold is like the Mozart of modern rock… I feel smarter listening to them.
“Gooooood stuff!”
Oh, and… last night I went to see my friend Sabrina Stone (-not- the one that comes up on a google search) play at the Bitter End in the Village. She is a guitar-playing singer/songwriter with a real unique voice and some very well-written original material. For those that don’t know, this a pretty famous venue for acoustic music… Bob Dylan used to play there, among others. Sabrina was on after a pretty mediocre chick rock band and really sounded very good. She had gotten a little sick just days before and was forced to alter her setlist to accommodate her limited vocal range, but she definitely rose to the occasion. I think my favorite from last night was “Smurfette,” a tongue-in-cheek blues song about being a 16-year-old white girl living on the upper east side. She had mentioned that she was considering doing a Jamiroquai cover, “Cosmic Girl,” which would have been –killer-, but opted for an Ani DiFranco cover instead (which she totally nailed). Anyways, she brought in a nice crowd and I was glad to be there to support her.
You love cats
And I love ice cream
And since cats like ice cream it’s kinda like you said “I love you”
…heh. Something like that. She’s got some clever lines. She has a newer song with a line like “you’re like that dream that I forgot… but woke up smiling from” and the phrasing of it is just, genius. I have to say.
Look out for these bands/artists in the future… my money is on them.
Oh! Eesh! We have CATS now at our apartment! Heh… really in response to our mouse problem, but cats are cats. They’re little guys… one female who was up for adoption, “Stella,” and one male who was bought as a friend, “Draven(?)”… don’t ask, I missed the naming ceremony. Anyways, they’re freakin’ cute as hell and currently reside in our laundry room.
Stella!
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