Bishop Allen

I’ve talked about intimacy and closeness in bands before, but Bishop Allen perhaps do it best off all. Whenever I listen to their music I feel like they’re performing it directly to me (expensive headphones definitely help). It’s a weird effect for sure, but it gives you a warm feeling and makes each song sound uniquely special. But this is just one in a number of things that make these Brooklyn based band rather unorthodox. Firstly, they don’t stick to conventional song structures, rather doing whatever seems to sound good. It’s something that may turn off the purists but we will be welcomed by anyone looking for a fresh sound. But what’s even more out of the ordinary is that this year these crazy kids are releasing a 4-track EP each month. That’s 48 tracks in a year, an impressive feat for any band. But what’s surprising is that the quality hasn’t been (too) compromised. While many of the songs wouldn’t have made it to record under normal circumstances and occasionally sound rushed, not a month has gone by without a brilliant song being released. Hopefully they’ll release an album at the end of the year with a song from each month so the great material doesn’t get lost in this sea of excessive releases.

Busted Heart – This song is taken off their debut album, Charm School, the record that made me come to love them. I wanted to include this song because while I mentioned that they can be very intimate, I forgot to say how they can also be incredibly fun. I think this song sums up the point well.

The Same Fire – This song is simply beautiful. With music so clean and lyrics so heartfelt, it rises above its monthly counterparts. It was released on the August edition, which actually deviated from the formula, including a number of live tracks. I also highly recommend “The News From Your Bed” off the February EP