Reviewsic [ri-vyoo-zik] -noun: Music worth talking about

In the world of Indie music, where the increasing use of synth and digitization in it’s composition seems to be more and more each day, there are countless bands that cite the “go to” staples of such musical styling like Sufjan Stevens and The Postal Service as major influences. However, there aren’t many that truthfully can say they hold a candle to the intelligence and talent found between these two musicians. But somewhere in Kansas resides one singer/songwriter that can truly play with the big boys. (Seriously, someone call up Ben and Sufjan)

Sam Billen, formally of the decade long running band The Billions and newly solo artist, hails from Lawrence, KS, the last place most people probably think of when concocting a locale for making dreamy synth-symphonic music. None-the-less, Billen does just that, and with much aplomb. Releasing his first solo record in roughly 5 years, Headphones & Cellphones was put out via indie label The Record Machine in 2009- a new move for Billen, who had previously spent his music making years working with Northern Records.

Moving away from the poppy-Nada Surf-inspired indie rock of The Billions, and the quiet acoustic of his previous Tokyo EP, Sam’s solo work has tapped into a new vein rich with more sounds than one knows how to identify, soulful vocals, and lyrics that deliver a thoughtful personal narrative.

The first track of Headphones & Cellphones is sure to catch its listener off guard if they haven’t heard Billen in a while. In fact, to best enjoy this album we urge music fans to lay off any tracks until they have the complete set of 10 in front of them- each song is a specific ingredient, and while they might be tasty on their own, it’s not until the listener has them all simmering in one listening session that the true flavor and body of these tracks comes out.

“Bandaids” couples its guitar with smooth piano and synth, not holding back as it tosses in shakers, banjo, clapping, echoing “ah’s” and twinkling twilight sounds. While that may sound incredibly busy, and truthfully is, the approach in production Billen has made for this album allows all those little intricacies to weave together subtly instead of clashing against one another or competing for the spotlight. In this first track as well as in several others there’s a distinct shine toward R&B with the soulfulness found in Sam’s vocals, which we found to be completely refreshing. Far too often do singers making music akin to the indie synth-pop genre ignore the quality and style of their vocal patterns, allowing the effects and synth to dominant their song writing.

Effectively most of this album is an amplified reminiscence of what Ben Gibbard was doing when he began writing music for The Postal Service, but Billen does stray away from Gibbard’s style in his other tracks. There’s a distinct and rolling folksiness behind some of his music, such as the ending vocals in “The Garden” that wouldn’t be ill placed within an album from The Mama’s and the Papa’s or Simon and Garfunkel. There’s a continuation of classic era based influence in Headphones & Cellphones, from the 80’s keyboard ala Hall & Oates in “Different Lives” to the 70’s spin on modern synth that we find in “Sleepwalker” (Think about if the BeeGee’s and Ben Gibbard made a baby).

Our friend Sam also takes a shine toward more pop-ish musicians such as Rufus Wainwright and Darren Hayes, particularly in the title track “Headphones & Cellphones” and “Summer of 95’”. However, Billen is no one trick electronic pony and he effectively delivers a more stripped down sound full of warm, oaky guitar, piano and strings in “Choices”, where we also hear the greatest of Sufjan’s influence. As he whisperingly croons “Choices/ We make them all the time/ and those choices they can ruin your life”, vocally we get a combination of Midlake and a less melancholy Henrik Skanfors. We think that “Choices” is a beautiful slow down to this blippy and twinkling album.

Another track necessary to make note of is “Keep That Beat Going”, an anthem for musicians we’d put right alongside Owen Pye and the Sunday School Band’s “Success”, about the sometimes struggle filled but absolutely needed process of creating. “Give me one more chance/ Give me a chance to sing/Let’s keep the beat going/ Let’s just forget the scene/it’s about music/ and it’s about our dream” Initially largely carried by the vocals, with an extremely subtle use of synth and simple acoustic, the song flips as its vocals start to repeat their chorus and fall behind the shimmery effects of the song- just another example of Billen’s attention to detail in the production of these songs.

By and large this is an album that contains more sounds than a single listen can identify. While to some it may be distracting, and at times overwhelming on the listener’s senses, we feel that the point of this album isn’t to pick and pull apart each tiny idiosyncrasy. Listened with a collective appreciation for it’s composition, Headphones & Cellphones is an extremely beautiful combination of melodic vocals and electronic intricacies well worth any music lover lending their ears to.

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Last spring in our review of Dan Wythoff’s debut release, Now Departing, we said, “It can be expected that Wythoff will continue to impress, and hoped that he will deliver us with even more impressive songs.”

Now in 2010 the Mount Laurel, New Jersey singer/songwriter has done just that, releasing The Sunscreen EP, a collection of nine songs written during the summer of 2009 that are now being offered for free online. As is appropriate to the season of their creation, the tracks on this EP focus on the “exploration of love: exciting, impermanent, paralyzing, human”. Swelling with the genuinely heartfelt deliverance Wythoff introduced us to in his debut, and working once again with skilled producer Paul Sipio (Check out our review of Paul’s personal music project), The Sunscreen EP varies from the duo’s first collaboration in its slightly more simple composition. Trading the previously cymbal heavy and pop-ish sound of Now Departing for one of earthly guitar and more vocal oriented tracks, The Sunscreen EP is a wonderful example of progression. Previously likened to The Rocket Summer and Death Cab for Cutie, we’d say this new EP now puts Wythoff somewhere closer to the realms of Jason Mraz and the newly popular Matt Hires.

Opening with an organic and slightly twangy instrumental track, right off the bat The Sunscreen EP gives off a feeling of warmth only found in the summer time. It is best described as two minutes of delightfulness that we imagine appearing somewhere in our subconscious while on the first bike ride of the season. Aptly following that vibe comes “June”, with a simple, loping snare in it’s percussion, an impeccable rhyme scheme, and Wythoff summing up his take on the month for us, “I’m pale and weary/ I’ve got this theory that June is out to get me/ Because I’ve always spent summer months forgetting girls”. Cheery sounding despite its slightly cynical perspective, “June” slows down with a vocal display that justifies our previous comparison of Wythoff to Mraz, and is a fine example of the more vocal conscious focus of this EP compared to Now Departing.

Other tracks such as “Lost and Found” and “Soft Breeze” offer a folk-pop blend of twangy acoustic and snare, singing on about the loveliness of falling for someone new. “You make the sky blue/ the clouds flee the sight of you” coupled with lines about a nerve wracking first kiss and wanting to remind someone how wonderful they are makes us wish for the warm weather and summer loving that Wythoff is crooning about.

“To Be Around You” is another swoon worthy song, which like it’s album-mate “Tiny Red Balloons” is akin to the style of John Mayer, though unlike it’s fellow, is about how it feels to be in love instead of aching for it. Wythoff, in his ever well worded way, delivers us a series of personifications for ways he’d like to be able to get closer to the lucky girl in mind, tying them all together with the simply put line “Because it’s nice to be around you.” How anyone who can write such lovely things could ever be alone is beyond us, but Wythoff manages to write on both the good and bad sides of romance with much aplomb.

“Speckled Knees” is a slight derivation from the more melodic and acoustic based tracks that precede it. An instrumental track focused on rippling guitar and synchronized clapping and percussion, it gives off the sound we imagine one would get if they fused together the individual strumming and styles of Death Cab for Cutie ala The Open Door EP and Iron and Wine. Another wonderfully composed track in the same vein as “Speckled Knees” is “I was Born in the Month of Rain” which even without it’s cue in the title would make us think of a lazy day inside during a summer rain. With it’s organ-y piano and soft hi-hat, this song gets even more lovely and relaxing as Dan comes in with whispery nonsensical vocals of “ba-da-la-da-da-do”.

Finally, like a summer love and now this EP, all good things must come to an end-which is just what Wythoff sings of in his final track “Making Room”. Pulling instrumentals from the starting track “The Sunscreen” and adding lyrics, Dan sings to us about the end of romance, leaving before we’re really ready and just a little hint of bitterness, “I’m starting to feel as if you never gave a damn and we were always through”

All in all The Sunscreen EP is just what we were hoping to hear from Wtyhoff after his initial debut. Once again his work with Paul Sipio has proven fruitful, as are the contributions of bass and drums given by Andrew Roibal and Joey Stasio. We can guarantee this album will be one we pull out as the sun starts to shine and our skin starts to tan, hoping for our own summer love while we sing along to songs like “Lost and Found”, “I’ve been floating around/ I can’t wait to be found by you”

Download The Sunscreen EP for Free via Danwythoff.com

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