(An e-mail to the guys of Dirtywhite Fashion.)
Hi guys. Received your package and have been listening to your CD for several weeks now. I've just got one question. What are you guys doing wrong?
I mean, why the hell isn't this CD being played on every radio station in America?
The funny thing is, I almost tossed this CD into my "coaster" section of my indie artist CD collection. The "coaster" section is were I keep CDs that (how do I put it....) Suck. See, I don't like to throw CDs out, especially when they make such excellent drink coasters.
The day I received your CD, I received 4 other CDs. Now, I use to get excited to find new music in my mailbox. A shiny, new, virgin-like CD, holds infinite amounts of possibilities. But, like all things that are shiny and new, the novelty wears off. And I had been disappointed so many times by the amount of absolute dreck that is being produced out in indie-land, I'd become immune to the possibility that I might discover something good, maybe even amazing.
To make matters worse (for you), your package appeared to have been molested by some sort of deranged mail carrier. When I opened the package, the jewel case poured onto my desk like a jigsaw puzzle. The CD itself appeared to be unscathed. So, I put it aside, along with the paperwork accompanying it.
When I listen to new music, I like to do it in a controlled environment. Usually in my car or in my home office, after-hours. I didn't get to listen to your CD for a couple of days. And to be honest, the only reason I listened to it that soon, was to get it off my desk. After all, I had a stack of CDs ready to be listened to, that arrived at my desk, long before yours did. But, since yours didn't fit neatly into the pile (because of the jewel case incident), it was occupying a space reserved for my coffee mug. (And my coffee mug was screaming for a coaster to sit on.)
So, in an effort to do some desktop housekeeping, your CD skipped the usual protocol of sitting in a pile, waiting to be listened to, and went directly into my CD player.
Well, much to my ears' surprise, I wasn't turned off at the first notes. But, how many times had my ears curled up and tried to climb back into my head at the sound of the lead singer's voice? Too often. But no, this time they remained attentive. In fact, I think I heard them say, "whoa…"
Then I said, "Whoa… What the hell is going on here?" I quickly sorted through the clutter on my desk and found the CD insert. Who the hell are these guys? "Dirty-white-fashion"? What label are they on? Who's producing this? No label? No producers?
How is it that I torture myself, on a daily basis, scanning through garbage radio stations, trying to find something interesting to listen to, while a band like Dirtywhite Fashion is forced to distribute their music via pony express to obscure music webzines? I almost feel blessed, or charmed, or just plain old damn lucky to have received this CD.
Okay, here's the part where I compare your music to other established artists and try to guess your musical influences…blah, blah, blah…
But, you know what? I don't really care who your influences are. This is exceptional songwriting and great music and I really like it. I can tell that you guys eat, drink and breathe music, and if I had to say what your influences were, I'd generically have to say it was "rock" and "blues" and "folk"...
But…I know others need a point of reference, so…fine.
I hear the Jeff Buckley, Travis, Coldplay comparisons. But just slightly. And only in terms of Feck's vocals.
What I really hear is some adult alternative sounds similar to David Gray or Willy Porter. But then in other songs I hear a musical style similar to bands like Better Than Ezra, Del Amitri, Wilco. And I'll even be so bold as to guess that the Beatles may have had some indirect effect on you.
I absolutely love "This is the way". This song kicks the pants off of anything by Coldplay or Travis. "Close to gone" is also brilliant. A funky, addictive rhythm-based tune with catchy lyrics. "Take me to your place" sounds like something George, Paul, John and Ringo would have written if they were still around. And "Plan B" seems so familiar, I could swear Better Than Ezra already wrote it. "Drive", "Medicine Girl", "When you sleep", "Simple Brick Houses" – they're all excellent. There really isn't a bland song on the whole CD. "The Sad Light of Morningtime" took me several listens before I finally got hooked, and now it is my favorite song on the CD. An absolute beautiful song, sung with such emotion, you can't help but believe it was written about something real and in one long night.
So, getting back to my original point. What are you guys doing wrong? This CD is better than anything I've actually purchased in the past year, and could possible stand the test of time and remain in my regular rotation for years.
I'm going to write a review about this CD and post it on our webzine. I'd like to spread the word and hope I can stimulate some interest in "Dirtywhite Fasion". Best of luck with future songwriting, and I look forward to hearing you on the radio someday.
Now, how should I write this up?
Check out this album: https://music.apple.com/us/album/thirteen/5960245
コメント