Eytan Mirsky “Funny Money”
Eytan Mirky has long been a strong writer of pop songs that explore insecurity and hopeless love. Starting with “I’m Gonna Fight It” its got a bluesy hook that recalls a small scale Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe or Jonathan Richman about the everyman struggles with a “one true love.” The laid back pop smarts of “Somebody Played A Joke on Me” is almost like a Jimmy Buffet hit single, with a sweet guitar break by Jon Gordon. Its about small victories, as he tells a friend “You Got It Made” and recognizing the wrong girl in “I Saw Something In You.” Even tender ballads like “Watching Dawson’s Creek” are great, as it relates an old relationship to an old TV show. In a rare moment, “Good Hair Day” is an uncharacteristically happy and buoyant song that urges you to seize the day. These are all solid gems and most of these songs hit the mark. Super highly recommended.
Field Music “Commontime”
Field Music has never been a band that grabs your attention immediately, but the clinical musicianship mixed with nerd quirkiness shows occassional flashes of genius. The brothers David and Peter Brewis seem intent on experimenting here. The opener “The Noisy Days are Over” is a great microcosm of the band as a whole, with inventive percussive effects, a solid melody and a grand theme. You will hear influences from David Bowie, Todd Rundgren and the Talking Heads. “Disappointed” is a funky single that sounds like a lost 80’s classic, and the deliberate horn flourishes and piano melody on “But Not For You” bring to mind Steely Dan in its prime. “I’m Glad” has a warped time signature that few can make a single from. But its the meticulousness of their melodic structure that have won over a small cult of audiophiles. Some great examples include “They Want You To Remember” and “Indeed It Is.” The album could have used some editing, but overall its a rare treat. Highly Reccomended.