OK, this is my oddest find to date - by story, not by talent. The other day, I received a MySpace Friend Request with a little note that said 'I'm one of the ones that, surprisingly, you discover you actually like. At least, that's what everyone else says. :)' Silly, yes, but it worked. I have often either ignored or rejected just such requests, but that made me laugh and so I checked him out - how could I not? And I'll be damned he wasn't right, and his music did interest me.
So, the first thing I noticed was his humor - the note showed me that - and he was cute, and I have already admitted to my shallowness in that area. Yes, he is more adorkable than adorable, but I am good with that. And then there is the music. It is this odd combination of ragtime, pop, string quartet, and a touch of EMO vocals that I just found endearing and charming. Kinda retro, with no real specific period attached, more nostalgic with a dose of today.
The first on my hit parade is a little ditty named Julia, a ragtime-ish number with charm and spirit. He is definitely added to the list of indie boys, and has several videos available on YouTube, all performance based, so not necessarily of the highest quality. His voice has the quality that reminds me of the singers from The Killers or Keane, while singing in a different style. I know, that sounded weird when I typed it as well.
While my description makes him sound all gimmicky, I don't get that impression while listening to all his music. He has a wonderful musicality, a greater understanding of the music - a love for it. The boy knows what he is doing. He goes beyond the 21st century goofball playing ragtime to an artist with his music, be it a rag or flat out pop styling. I really like The Park Bench Song, Any Other Way, and Those Were The Days.
You can listen to his music by clicking on the song titles above, or visiting his MySpace page.
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