Big electronic drums meets pretty piano and synth and strings .

17 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Progressive Rock, ELECTRONIC: Trip Hop



Details:
I am no fan of the CD format. At age 15 I bought my first CD, Too Shorts "Get In Where You Fit In" and though this was an exciting moment, the romance was short lived. I found that a CD Walkman skips when you walk, man, and the jewel cases lack the luster of a cardboard record sleeve. Nothing sounds warmer then a needle on vinyl, but the quality of CD audio still trumps the hollow mp3. An mp3's appeal is its fluidity and small spacial presence. I have my records which are an interactive museum showcasing my handpicked favorites and I have a computer and mp3 player, which are like a library, volumous and convenient. CDs are an inconvenient oddity, a conduit, soon relinquishing its usefulness to my computer before being resold.
Mike Hale, the man behind "Old and Gray", has always given the CD format more love then it deserves. Previous releases feature hand painted covers, and other touches which reflect the passion that is also evident in the music. Independent music is a crowded bazaar where every artist is on a soapbox with a megaphone, the ground is littered with demos and fliers; our arms have grown longer with modern technologies but the connectivity of artist and appreciator more detached. I acquired a copy of Old and Gray's new CD, "Souls worth Saving" EP, listened to its three songs several times on a borrowed CD player over some coffee and a newspaper. At some point I picked up the case, familiarity of the songs solidified, and details of the greater expressions came into view.
The music within the three songs drones and haunts, in the hardware store its on the same aisle as the nine-inch-nails, sounds like a thoughtful cousin of the Faint and bears similarity to Hail to the Thief. What struck me the most is the contrast within each song, the play between the sharp and deep and the softer moments. Dark synths and drum machines are the foundation to the music, the piano on "Oh Donnie" is hypnotic and quite expressive but the greatest instrument present is Mikes vocals, which float, bounce and cut carrying through the aural contrasts.
My mood conformed to the emotion of the music, I examined the casing and found myself becoming excited about the format and presentation, defying my prejudice towards CDs. The Cds three songs, are spread over seventeen tracks; "Why this just isn't going to work on my mp3 player, what'll become of my beloved shuffle!" I discovered that the song to track ratio breaks down as follows; #1- 6 tracks, #2- 6 tracks, and #3 five tracks (6,6,5); which alludes to then subverts the number 666. You don't have to be an occultist to appreciate a pretty number okay! Furthermore, the entire CD plays at 12.36 minutes (3 songs times 12 = 36), incredible! Discovering these details elevated my experience of the music, I felt warm and goose-bumped, looking at the sidewalk with my ears enveloped by large headphones.
Song #2, "Oh Donnie" is my favorite, sounding like a olde-tyme saloon pianist in the hull of an old wooden vessel on the sea. Mr Hales vocals build till they crescendo into a hat tip tribute to the CD's worst glitch, the scratch skip remix. Rather then annoy, it delights, sounding as beautiful as a well orchestrated scratch on vinyl.
I don't know what Old and Grays official position on the compact disc is, but listening to this release is the only time I can recall feeling like the music matched the format. The physical and aural presence of the Souls Worth Saving EP, is one of thoughtful meticulousness, and a creation born from passion. Our technologies make it easier to find, collect and share, but also devalue expression. In the cacophonous noise that is in the arena of guerilla marketers, Souls Worth Saving stands taller then others, because Old and Gray's offering is built with passionate precision , from the inside out.