Those of you who like Folk music, what do you think of this?
Visually, he's a mix of Bubbles from The Wire and more obviously, Barack Obama. His name is Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, and he is a twenty-six year-old singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. He has opened for Grizzly Bear, (Grizzly Bear bassist, Chris Taylor produced his debut album and the rest of the band played on it , as well as some of the members of TV On the Radio) TV On the Radio,and also the band Black Kids, or as I like to call them, "Untalented twats whose buzz thankfully died out as quick as it came." I've been researching this guy a fair bit, and what I've found out sort of breaks down like this:
In terms of delivery, imagine Bob Dylan with an even bigger ego, and a decent voice.
Anyway, his guitar playing is quite good, and he'll definitely remind people of some of Dylan's older stuff, mainly in his delivery. I'd describe his voice as honest, which is a good thing. From what I've read, guy has a bit of an attitude problem, (And also a major drinking problem) that may prevent him from truly breaking out, but it's not like Dylan-inspired folk has a chance at getting mainstream any time soon. Getting back to that "Honest" voice, it also carries over into his lyrics. He curses often, and while that's a rarity in folk, it suits him. A lot of his songs are critical of his life; this type of self-reference usually falls flat on its face because most singers are in love with themselves, Miles isn't. With his approach to song-writing being mostly filled with self-disappointment and failures, he comes off as having a level of, again, honesty--sort of like when Lou Reed made Heroin with The Velvet Underground. Take this lyric from Buriedfed for example, where Miles depicts his own mental funeral:
"This is my last song about myself, about my friends,
Found something else to sing.
Try and patch it up with tape and twine,
Maybe I'll just break everything that's mine.
They wheeled out my casket,
They said, "Boy, lay down your head"
I said, "Aw shit, man, I ain't even dead"
I won't be buried for I'm...
My friend, who's a real yo-yo
She's always crying, and no one knows why
She's gonna be alright
Lost her past in a fuzzy fire
Wasn't even drunk, just a little tired last night
And they took her to the doctor
To fix her heart, and heal her head
She said, "Goddamn, I'm tired of being polite
Go save somebody else"
This song is the one that really got me listening to his record a lot more. There's a weird skip after the first verse that was probably not noticed in the mixing, (I don't see how, but whatever) and that takes a bit getting used to, but that aside, it's a great record.
(No stupid comments please...I list very explicitly what type of music this is...so don't be mad at me if you're not into it.)
Visually, he's a mix of Bubbles from The Wire and more obviously, Barack Obama. His name is Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, and he is a twenty-six year-old singer-songwriter from Brooklyn, New York. He has opened for Grizzly Bear, (Grizzly Bear bassist, Chris Taylor produced his debut album and the rest of the band played on it , as well as some of the members of TV On the Radio) TV On the Radio,and also the band Black Kids, or as I like to call them, "Untalented twats whose buzz thankfully died out as quick as it came." I've been researching this guy a fair bit, and what I've found out sort of breaks down like this:
In terms of delivery, imagine Bob Dylan with an even bigger ego, and a decent voice.
Anyway, his guitar playing is quite good, and he'll definitely remind people of some of Dylan's older stuff, mainly in his delivery. I'd describe his voice as honest, which is a good thing. From what I've read, guy has a bit of an attitude problem, (And also a major drinking problem) that may prevent him from truly breaking out, but it's not like Dylan-inspired folk has a chance at getting mainstream any time soon. Getting back to that "Honest" voice, it also carries over into his lyrics. He curses often, and while that's a rarity in folk, it suits him. A lot of his songs are critical of his life; this type of self-reference usually falls flat on its face because most singers are in love with themselves, Miles isn't. With his approach to song-writing being mostly filled with self-disappointment and failures, he comes off as having a level of, again, honesty--sort of like when Lou Reed made Heroin with The Velvet Underground. Take this lyric from Buriedfed for example, where Miles depicts his own mental funeral:
"This is my last song about myself, about my friends,
Found something else to sing.
Try and patch it up with tape and twine,
Maybe I'll just break everything that's mine.
They wheeled out my casket,
They said, "Boy, lay down your head"
I said, "Aw shit, man, I ain't even dead"
I won't be buried for I'm...
My friend, who's a real yo-yo
She's always crying, and no one knows why
She's gonna be alright
Lost her past in a fuzzy fire
Wasn't even drunk, just a little tired last night
And they took her to the doctor
To fix her heart, and heal her head
She said, "Goddamn, I'm tired of being polite
Go save somebody else"
This song is the one that really got me listening to his record a lot more. There's a weird skip after the first verse that was probably not noticed in the mixing, (I don't see how, but whatever) and that takes a bit getting used to, but that aside, it's a great record.
(No stupid comments please...I list very explicitly what type of music this is...so don't be mad at me if you're not into it.)
Sounds good, but his voice definitely sounded better when it was more intense, which may be a direct contrast to Dylan, who did the mellower stuff really well.
I like it. I do love his honesty, which I suppose is what's really winning me over. I'll have to give him more of a listen when... it's not 12 in the morning on a Monday.
" @Arkthemaniac: That's what I love about him, the way he sort of explodes. But as you said, Dylan did that as well, but often sounded weak, where as Miles sounds powerful and intense. However when he sings soft, he isn't as effective, where as Dylan was. "Hey whoa whoa whoa WHOA.
I like some folk every now and then. That song was pretty nice but this is where I normally get my dosage of folk (or folk rock or whatever...):
I still prefer Thrice to Dustin's solo stuff, but he still does amazing work.
the chorus or delay effect on his voice is fucking dumb.
Bruce, you're a lighthouse, a waypoint, through this dense and pock-marked and confusing world of indie music.
Good suggestion here. Another good suggestion. Thanks for steering me towards this.
that dude looks drunk as shit. almost zero expression as he sings and his eyes are all droopy.
" 1. Dylan isn't folk.Dylan is folk ya moron. But he was waaayyyyyy better than this guy. but if you don't think dylan was folk then what do you call this:2. Dylan > This guy.3. This guy isn't much like Dylan. He kinda sucks."
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