One thing I absolutely love is when a friend tells me about a musical act that they know/feel I will like. This happened last year. A good friend one day sent me a message about a band from Indianapolis that he said was working it. His message said something to the effect of “dude you are going to freaking love this band.” So he sent me a song that was about to be released soon. And I fell in love with it on first listen. That song was “Back Yard,” the band was Whale Bones. Since that day I have done nothing but rave about this band. Their album Island Fire was a top 5 album for me last year. If you have not listened to them, I suggest you do that know. I promise you will be in awe.

So what makes them such a talented band? First and foremost, Whale Bones is an experience. You don’t just listen to them, you are engulfed by them. You become one with the music. Every time I listen to them, I discover something new, something I didn’t realize the last listen. It doesn’t end. This is point number two, it’s all the emotions that come with their music. The words transport you to place you may have forgotten about or place you have never been. When it comes to songwriting, Nathan Kane is one of the best in music today. And when you add the emotion that comes with that, man that’s a deadly 1-2 punch. Lastly the music itself is so epic. When I think post-rock, this is what comes to mind. You can close your eyes, just enjoy the music, and forget about the outside world. It’s just you, them, and your thoughts.

This is a band that you need to experience live to fully enjoy them. Like I said it is an experience, one that you will not forget any time soon. Trust me; I’ve seen them 5 times, and every time I leave in awe. So Columbus and surrounding areas, your next chance to catch them is Sunday September 8 as part of All Good Fest at Woodlands. They go on at 8:25. See you there!!!!

Going into this, I wasn’t sure what the overarching topic of this list would be, but as I started describing each album, I realized a consistent thing that I admire is the artists’ individual and unique perspectives. They each embraced their own natural style and made risky moves that ultimately made for beautiful works of art.-Nathan Kane

  

Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid

No list of mine would be complete without this album. Aesop’s lyrics have always drawn me in, but this one really hit home in a lot of ways and helped me understand concepts that I wasn’t able to put into words. The production is so unique, especially as far as modern hip-hop goes. His vulnerability as far as mental health and his ability to include light-hearted concepts as well are inspiring to me. Musicians shouldn’t be/aren’t limited to certain topics or moods.                                                                                         

                                                                                         

Underoath – Lost in the Sound of Separation

This record has been really formative for me at different times in my life. As a songwriter, producer, and human this record has helped direct my perspective. I feel like they perfected their unique style and were able to direct their attention towards songwriting and exploration of sound.     

                                                                                       

Copeland – You are My Sunshine  

This is one of the first times that I ever noticed and studied vocal production. There’s so many dense and beautiful melodies/harmonies on this record, as well as techniques used to enhance them. I’ve always been drawn towards sad music, because it feels more emotional and sincere. I feel like this album is the epitome of that mood for me.

Dear and the Headlights – Drunk like Bible Times

I feel like I owe a lot of my own comfort with my voice to DATH. Ian’s vocal performance is so raw and emotional. He embraces his idiosyncrasies and is okay with being vulnerable with how he expresses his vocal performance. Lyrically, this record is so creative. There are so many elements of this album that I wouldn’t know how to create. This record is a standard that I strive for with my own songwriting.

Every Time I Die – From Parts Unknown

Lyrically, Keith is on his own level. His imagery is so moving and does an incredible job of putting the listener in the specific perspectives that he is trying to express. Songs like Overstayer focus on niche perspectives that a lot of people may not be able to relate to, but through the lyrics, everyone is brought up to speed and carried through. There’s so many amazing musical elements in these songs that I can’t begin to understand. There is a consistent energy throughout the record that is wholly unforgiving. Even a song like “Moor” (which might have felt out of place had another band attempted it) carries so much weight and power and ends up being one of my favorite songs on the record.