Risking life and limb for the coupon

For some time now, I've been meaning to talk about Sean Moeller's Daytrotter Sessions, a blog/live music happening that's been going strong now for 6+ months. Thankfully, this week's guest coincides with a new release that I'm inhaling like crack right now, Appreciation Night from Chicago's Bound Stems.


Album: Bound Stems - Appreciation Night
Download: "Andover" , "Western Biopic"
Download: Daytrotter Session

Bound Stems made an appearance on the Daytrotter Sessions this week, which means they record four songs and shoot the sh*t with Sean. Simple enough of a concept, but the key to it's success is more then just that - it's two things: the quality of the bands that stop by each week, and Sean's gift for engaging the band and writing/putting the package together. This session gives a good example at his writing craft:

Songs like "Andover" are patchwork quilts that involve so many different blocks of fabric that it’s a feast visually and audibly, forming together a piece of warmth and depth that should raise our expectations of what it takes for a song to really be complete, to feel intact. It calculates out to a successful coat of mesmerizing paint that was obviously applied by five different people, using five different hues and brushing with five different strokes. Instead of turning out a cringe-worthy muck, the songs and Appreciation Night as a whole, strikes as a microcosm of life spent loving music unabashedly, getting caught up with the most thrilling aspects of song, taking them to heart and striving to make something as relevant and influential as their influences.
- Sean Moeller, Daytrotter

With a description like that, why should I even bother to go on about Appreciation Night. I'll just add that drummer Evan is a former 'acquaintence' of mine, having previously drummed in the (forever underappreciated) Harvey Danger here in Seattle. It's good to hear his craft put to use in such a fascinating way.

tags: music, album review, bound stems, indie rock, daytrotter, harvey danger, rhapsody