www.festizio.net
www.myspace.com/festizioband

I consider it a form of maturity that I’m capable of writing decent happy songs now, even if some people still find them sad (emotionally, I mean). Here, I took an idea given via a Christmas gift note from a really close friend and expanded it into a song. I recorded it using the internal mic in my MacBook and mixed it down with GarageBand. Hope you like it…

Home

Though you’re far away tonight
I can see your face when I close my eyes
Tell me everything you want this time
When I breathe this moment into life

But don’t shoot the messenger, when I tell you I love you
Don’t you know it’s been a long, cold winter without you by my side

You, you’ll never be alone
I’ll always take you on
You’ll never be alone
Thanks for making me feel home

I’m hearing sirens pass, there must be an accident ahead
Do you think it was something I did?
Do you think it was something I said?

And when I sleep I can see you smile
All the while I’m worried wondering what you’re thinking about
Now why the hell have I been so impressed?

But don’t shoot the messenger, when I tell you I love you
Don’t you know it’s been a long, cold winter without you by my side

You, you’ll never be alone
I’ll always take you on
You’ll never be alone
Thanks for making me feel home…

That’s a photo of my backyard in Hawaii. :-)

www.thestandardsite.com
www.myspace.com/thestandard

The Standard – Swimmer
Recorded by Rob Oberdorfer
Mixed and mastered by Tony Lash

After the band’s former label fell, frontman Tim Putnam took matters into his own hands, self-releasing The Standard’s fifth album, Swimmer, on a label of his own. Already garnering praise from industry critics across the board, this new album transitions the Portland four-piece from underground hero status to a better position in the spotlight.

On it, The Standard combines guitars, bass, sultry synths and complex drum rhythms into one smooth sound, lovingly contrasted by constantly changing, almost chaotic song structures. Putnam’s vocals are angst-ridden, but also exhibit more melodic characteristics; his is a purely emotive and effectively jagged presentation, set against the band’s free-flowing instrumentation.

The album opens energetically with “The Swimmer,” a big and bold song with strong beats, ambient effects and a pulsating rhythm at the outset. On the following track, “Through the Walls,” the complicated rhythms are taken over by rolling keys, which push the song forward with a sense of great urgency. Swimmer’s most remarkable number, “Into the Fall,” features a poignantly overwhelming chorus complemented by sparkling synths and gentle keys. The track showcases the band’s capabilities in utilizing musical gaps and dramatic pauses, and gently drags like an insomniac seeking solace: “I sleep all day and wake up at night / Like a vampire with his blood-filled eyes / It’s down on me, down on me now.”

Swimmer presents itself as a model of musicianship with great precision. Every blip and bleep, swoosh and swirl holds an elegant place in the band’s masterpiece. Even still, the organic heart of Swimmer rests on the emotional dynamics of its thoughtful production, a well-laid plan that successfully sets for The Standard a new standard of its own. (Partisan Records)

www.thestandardsite.com

-Keane Li (more…)

www.festizio.net
www.myspace.com/festizioband

It was recorded in my apartment with a simple area mic so it’s a bit rough. I could tell you what the song is really about, but that would destroy the subjective fun of interpreting it with your personal perspective. Let me know what you think it’s about…

It’s Cool (I’ll Do It For You)

I see you in the sunshine
I see you in the fading of the light
I see you in a long kiss goodnight
It always reminds me, it always reminds me

I see you on the last train
I see you in a faraway airplane
Don’t know when I’ll see you again
But it always reminds me, it always reminds me

If I’d known love could be so cruel
That everything you do cuts into
But it’s cool, I’ll do it for you
I’ll do it for you

When winter weather comes around
You know it’s not the cold that’s got me down
Cause even so the low temperature
It still reminds me, it always reminds me

So I’ll take the chance to let you through
Cause no one understands me like you do
No, no one else can realign me
But they always remind me, they always remind me

If I’d known love could be so cruel
That everything you do cuts into
But it’s cool, I’ll do it for you

If I’d known at the start to choose
There’s nothing I could do, I’d still lose it too
But it’s cool, I’ll lose it for you
I’ll do it for you…

Too sappy? Click here for more kick-ass rock! :D