The Plants Are Dead on the Back Side
Each day I come home from work and empty the mail. There are usually at least two packages in there, stuffed with cds. There's probably another package with some vinyl in it waiting upstairs in my apartment. I'll look it over, not recognize the band names and put it in my bag for the morning. Then, at work the next day, I'll give each one a spin and see what happens. Lately it's been pretty tired. I mean, the music isn't necessarily bad, but it's not very inpsiring at all. Just kind of there, ya know?
So today, I looked at this soft little EP cover from the Saxon Shore, with a smooth creme background and a trio of flowers slowly growing out of a stump, and I had no idea what to expect. Turns out, Saxon Shore make incredible instrumental music, much like a God Speed or Mogwai. It was a wonderful surprise and I've got a new band to check out.
The band is on Burnt Toast Vinyl in Philadelphia. Not necessarily a full band, Saxon Shore is basically a guy named Matt Doty , who uses a circle of collaborators on his various albums. This latest incarnation of Matt Stone (Guitar, Keyboards), Steve Roessner (Drums), Oliver Chapoy (Guitar, Keyboards, Programming) and Will Stichter (Bass) seems to be working like magic. I could listen to this music all day. It's slow and beautiful and spacey. The entire EP is this good, if not better. You can order all of their albums (including this one Luck Will Not Save Us From A Jackpot of Nothing) directly from their site. Highly recommended. This is the best EP I've heard in a minute.