tell me something with bryan rahija of bombadil
photo by melissa madison fuller
i have been sitting on this “tell me something” for about a month now. as the title alludes to, it features bryan rahija of the durham, nc band, bombadil, and their most excellent record, tarpits and canyonlands. the first time i listened to said record, i fell in supreme like with it, but in all honesty i didnt really listen to it, it was more like background noise. it worked in perfect harmony with whatever it is was i was doing at the time, probably having a few drinks, but it sounded wonderful in a non-committal, at arms length kinda way. when i finally did get to sit down with it and give it my undivided attention, i realized i had the record all wrong. hiding beneath the mostly acoustic raucous good time i was hearing, was something of a sad clown syndrome. it reminded me of a friend i once had that whenever i would see him, he had nothing but the most sunny of attitudes, but below his shiny exterior was a powder keg of emotions just waiting to go off. of course, at the time, i didnt know there were these two sides, much like tarpits and canyonlands. my friend didnt make it to his 25th birthday. its not a downer of a record, at all, but its slightly schizophrenic which with repeated listens may make itself more apparent. maybe im reading way too much into it, and should take it as initially did? now that this other side to it is out there, i cannot not hear it and pay attention. regardless, of how i take it, me thinks tarpits and canyonlands will definitely be near the top of my top ten this year. highly recommended!
tarpits and canyonlands is out now on ramseur records
riyl: avett bros, elephant 6 pop stuff, the felice bros, the everybodyfields
the rest is bryan from bombadil
though we only spent 20 days in the studio with this record, it really took us about four years to make. demo after demo, show after show, long conversations in the van, all culminated into this third disc of ours.
I like the idea that the album is collection of fables, with just as many characters lurking around in the musical arrangements as there are in words. some of the musical characters are polite, quietly waiting their turn to chime in, while others are aggressive, violently shoving aside competing notes and vying for dominance. hopefully these guys complement the words, which talk about marriage and death and birthdays and sure, good old fashioned romance.
all told, it’s the closest we’ve come to sounding like ourselves.
One Comment
wow, these guys are really great- thanks for pointing them out :D