Music: Review of "Letters to the Editor"
It stormed last night. This morning, the dirt road from my house to the highway was soft and slippery, the berm washed away in places. I kept my window down for a few miles to smell the richness of the wet earth and trees.
It rained on my way home last night as I drove up the pass, glanced occasionally at the lighted house in the valleys, and listened repeatedly to a song that has become very meaningful.
Art and life sometimes work together so powerfully. I discovered a new acoustic indie EP from Andrew Osenga (former front man for The Normals and guitar player for Caedmon’s Call). I’ve always loved his songwriting. Here, in an online-only set, Andrew has taken solicited ideas from his online community and incorporated them into six, stripped-down, acoustic songs. He has made them available for free download, noting that donations are welcome. (A buck a song is the recommendation.) A true indie/community effort. I was skeptical of the quality, but after hearing “Swing Wide the Glimmering Gates”, I bought it.
The rest of the songs are very, very good, but “Swing Wide” is special. I can’t stop playing it. Andrew asked his blog community to submit via email a recording of themselves singing several melodies (no lyrics) that he gave them. He then combined them all and mixed them into a “choir” that is, to me, incredible. What an awesome (and well-executed) idea. It isn’t often that I hear a song that moves me at the deepest level. It caught me by surprise.
If you’re interested, a link to the download is available here: http://www.andrewosenga.com/blog/letters-to-the-editor-vol-1
It rained on my way home last night as I drove up the pass, glanced occasionally at the lighted house in the valleys, and listened repeatedly to a song that has become very meaningful.
Art and life sometimes work together so powerfully. I discovered a new acoustic indie EP from Andrew Osenga (former front man for The Normals and guitar player for Caedmon’s Call). I’ve always loved his songwriting. Here, in an online-only set, Andrew has taken solicited ideas from his online community and incorporated them into six, stripped-down, acoustic songs. He has made them available for free download, noting that donations are welcome. (A buck a song is the recommendation.) A true indie/community effort. I was skeptical of the quality, but after hearing “Swing Wide the Glimmering Gates”, I bought it.
The rest of the songs are very, very good, but “Swing Wide” is special. I can’t stop playing it. Andrew asked his blog community to submit via email a recording of themselves singing several melodies (no lyrics) that he gave them. He then combined them all and mixed them into a “choir” that is, to me, incredible. What an awesome (and well-executed) idea. It isn’t often that I hear a song that moves me at the deepest level. It caught me by surprise.
If you’re interested, a link to the download is available here: http://www.andrewosenga.com/blog/letters-to-the-editor-vol-1
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