Beehive
skeptically tendon
I am branching out with my little blog. This is my first post of a project with which I am not involved. This is a song by Posthumous Hits.
Posthumous Hits is primarily a project involving some old friends of mine from the glory years of college in Fargo/Moorhead, namely Ben Graner and Brad Smarjesse. I recently received their most recent album "sliding glass doors & personal effects," and I really enjoy it. Overall, it is a really spacious experience. Layers of hypnotic sound-scapes intertwine with haunting vocals.
Having known both Ben and Brad both as friends and through a number of various musical and artistic endeavors, this recording makes a lot of sense. It is a very satisfying realization of their specific creative personalities as I know them. Ben was involved in some great bands in Fargo/Moorhead like Humdrum, the Sweethearts, and Senator just to name a few. In all of his groups, Ben had a very engaging approach to songwriting. His performances evoked a restrained power, an urgency without anger. The guitar parts were often driving but didn't overpower the intensity of the vocals, which typically displayed a quiet strength. Ben's contributions to Posthumous mirror this authenticity.
Brad on the other hand is the master of the abstract. While Brad has always possessed a great mind for detail and order, he has tended to gravitate toward the atypical. Back around 2002 or so, I took a trip to Seattle and visited Brad. He gave me a recording he had recently completed, and it was amazing. It consisted of some of the most unusual sounds I'd ever heard, but Brad had constructed them in a way that made perfect sense.
There are a number of other folks who contribute to Posthumous. Brad's wife Rumi and Ben's wife Jen add their vocal talents to the recording. Another good old buddy Jim Zespy does something for this as well. I am not sure what he does, but something good I am sure.
Bottom line it the boys are making great stuff. I am posting these 2 songs to give you an idea of what it is all about, "Beehive" and "skeptically tendon." Check them out. Contact them for a CD if you want to hear more.
http://www.myspace.com/posthumoushits
1 comment:
When I first got Brad's 2002 recording I unfortunately didn't give it much of a listen due to an enormous backlog of music. But recently I came across it again and was really knocked out by it. I couldn't believe the sophistication of it and the sounds he gets. Really impressive. I'll be sure to order a P.H. album as a Graner/Smarjesse team-up can't be missed.
ej
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