The next 24 hours were filled with emails between myself and Jordan Pier, one half of of Leaving Richmond (along with Adam Sanborne), excitedly chatting about my desire to review an EP of theirs, and he wonderfully shared their music with me! I want to promote them, so right off the bat, I'll say, check out their site: www.leavingrichmond.com. But before you leave me here, please, keep reading and check out this EP with me!!
I'll only really prep you with this: these guys make amazing ambient/atmospheric rock, and it's downright addicting. Being a lyrics addict, it's very rare for me to fall for a band like this, but I have. So come on - fall deeper with me!
"Tiny Things'" is the kick-off track, and from the first strum we're thrust into a different space and time. The beat is steady, but with this reminder in an additional build beat that shows you there's something more underneath. That all slowly rises in. What's hitting me the most is this simple piano melody playing through, almost giving a voice. It's there in variations throughout, creating a traveling feel as it rises in different forms throughout the music. Maybe I'm not making any sense at all, but I love the sounds coming from my speakers.
The title of the next track, "New Machinery" is a little off-putting just because it implies something mechanic and less beautiful. I promise I'll give it a chance though. While it does have a more metallic sound, it's not without beauty as an electric guitar noise is strewn throughout. The song is more up-tempo, almost in the realm of pop-rock. The layering here remains phenomenal.
"I'll Find Meaning, Just Not Today" is an intriguing title in-of-itself - it's liable to get you thinking before the opening chords are even hit. The song itself finds this amazing rock sound, almost like an instrumental song just begging to have lyrics on top. It's a sound that's undeniably made of the good stuff. There's also, I should add, an element to it that takes it out of the realm of pure rock and into its more fitting ambient category. While you can feel the energy, there's an electronic element that just plays to a different beat, yet somehow fits in perfectly.
This one is softer, "Backlit Narrative." This are more to heart somehow, though maybe I'm just speaking from a hopeless romantic of a 24-year-old's heart. The guitar that come in quicker pace about a minute in sort of throws me off though - it's unnecessary to the feel I originally had, but that's soon enough settled. The build in this is also extraordinarily moving, as the music, I'm not ashamed to say, could almost bring tears to the eyes in some moments.
"Your Personal Infinity" takes this rock feel we've had throughout much of the album so far and tones it way down. They take things back to a much more ambient tone than we've heard, showing a definite connection to the genre that houses them. Of course, I say all of this, and then the wail of a guitar takes over around 1:30. But it's echo-y and therefore I standby my original opinions.
Title track time! "The Bird and The Submarine" starts off in a very slow manner, one which I was convinced I would fall asleep to. It speeds up though, and as the pace rises, so does my enjoyment of the song. There's something about the combinations being made throughout this song, with guitars, drum beats, and the effects on each, that makes me love and hate it all at once. I've never been so joyfully confused by music before.
"The Aftermath Never Adds Up" is the final song on this one. I'm listening to it pretty late at night, and the gentle lead-in is beautiful. This is one you should get totally lost in during an incredible moment. The moment two lovers realize each other as right. The time when you walk towards your great future. The gaze out over the Hudson the day after you get offered the new job that makes everything livable again... heh, yeah. This one's right in so many ways.
Added to My Playlist (if I could add this stuff to my Spotify Mega-Playlist):
- "Tiny Things"
- "I'll Find Meaning, Just Not Today"
- "Backlit Narrative"
- "The Aftermath Never Adds Up"
I was intrigued by the original music listening experience I had for Leaving Richmond. I enjoyed what I heard enough to pursue it, which is rare since so much music is easily accessible. This one was a challenge, and completely worth the effort. I have absolutely fallen for this music in every way.