The musical journey can lead down some unexpected and convoluted roads – and my path to Future Islands has ended with me kicking myself for not finding them sooner. Let me lay it all out for you. My good friend and fellow music junkie Ty recently told me to give them a listen. Living in DC, he had heard of them after gaining some attention in the flourishing Baltimore indie-scene.
While researching, I came across the video (below) for our Jam of the Day, “Tin Man”, which is a montage of band and coastal North Carolina clips. Finding that odd for a group from Maryland, I wikid their asses, and come to find out they’re actually from Greenville, North Carolina which is less than 100 miles from where I live. To top it all off – they were back in NC for a string of intimate dates earlier this week…and I missed it because I had no clue who they were. Dammit.
Making it even more frustrating, “Tin Man” is just freaking awesome. Singer Samuel T. Herring’s raspy but refined Tom Waits-like voice backed by synthesized steel-drum infused instrumentation blusters with all the energy and atmosphere that a coastal night out has to offer. I challenge you to listen to this song on a warm evening with the windows rolled down in your car, or pulled up if you’re at home and not enjoy the hell out of it.
This is the reason I love music. During a week I expected to be tearing up the new The National and Hold Steady LPs – I’ve had In Evening Air on constant rotation. Thank you, curveballs.