To start the week – a quick geography lesson. The Triangle area of North Carolina includes three primary cities: Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. It’s located in the Piedmont region of the state, nestled quaintly three hours from the mountains and two hours from the beach. Culturally, it’s the epicenter of the state, fueled no doubt by each city housing a major university and the people who relocate to attend them.
In the forty mile radius of the Triangle, there has been the inevitable ebb and flow of bands who garner national attention. In the decades leading up to the aughts, bands like Superchunk, Whiskeytown, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Archers of Loaf all stirred up a fair share of attention in the area.
And when their dust settled, we were left with arguably the best independent record label in the world, Merge Records, and a group of local bands that seem poised to carry on the tradition of those that came before them.
Today’s Jam of the Day band, The Love Language, is a recent addition to a scene that is currently flourishing once again. “Heart to Tell” is the first single off their Merge debut Libraries, and it suggests very good things to come when the album drops July 13th.
Spurred by band leader Stuart McLamb and his ability to create infectious melody through fuzzy guitars and drum beats that beg you to clap your hands and tap a foot — it’s another song that’s perfect to play with the windows down this spring. I’m sure many cars cruising down Franklin Street this summer will be doing the exact same thing.