Andddddd I'm about to introduce you to your next quirky music obsession. You know how bands like Capital Cities and Foster the People seem to come up at you out of nowhere- and how you might not even really like them the first time you hear them? Well this next write up is one of those- this absolutely different duo that somehow have entranced me and made me a fan.
First- a tiny bit of back story: I received a submission in my email and honestly it sat there for about a week before I even looked at it. It's a blessing in disguise that I waited because I might have just chucked it had I not already been in a musical mood... but tonight I felt like going through the few submissions that I had flagged for review so I started listening and then after I heard a few songs I had to know more. Once I had the chance to take it all in I knew I had to write about them- so introducing:
These Curious Thoughts
Even their bio is quirky!
You can read more about them in depth on their website, but I pulled some quick tidbits for you to get an idea of what I am talking about.
http://www.thesecuriousthoughts.com
Do you understand how fun this is- they make music from different countries and somehow it's better than some of the junk you hear from groups that get to practice together live for hours daily! I think my second favorite song of their is "Lead Balloon". I just like it so much I keep replaying it over and over.
I need to point out at this point in time that if I didn't already love them enough, once I read that they have a song about John Wayne AND Batman where they are positing that the two are actually brothers...yeah, sign me up, I'm sold. Obviously, this song is my favorite, it's called, unsurprisingly, "John Wayne" and I totally love it. Completely and utterly. I consider this concept pure genius. Bruce Wayne. John Wayne. OMG every time I think about it, I giggle a tiny bit inside and am overwhelmed at the brilliance.
Anyway- here's some more info- enjoy, love them, support them, and thank me later. And keep reading till the end because I included a link to a free download for you.
From their Press Release regarding their latest upcoming album:
Aiming for a clever PR campaign for their previous album Building
Mountains from the Ground, song writing duo Sean Dunlop (music) and Jamie
Radford (the quirkiest off the wall lyrics you’ve probably ever heard) came up
with a wild origin story that’s about as crazy and intriguing as the idea of
The Duke being Batman’s brother (Bruce Wayne)—the driving concept of “John
Wayne,” a trippy, ambient-psychedelic track on What
Is It, And How Did It Get In There?, their new 5 track EP they are releasing
under their longstanding group name These Curious Thoughts.
The two have a very unique international setup as they create a constant
flow of what Dunlop calls “indie rock that’s progressive, introspective,
poetic, upbeat, catchy, strange and unique…
Radford pens the words from his home
base in London and emails them to Dunlop, who lives and makes music in his
studio in Detroit. They thought it was
in line with their crafty sense of humour to say they met in 2004 while
vacationing separately in Tingo Maria, Peru, where they were introduced to the
Ancient Society of Mound Builders. The less glamorous reality is that Dunlop
and Radford met on a “musicians wanted”-type website. When Dunlop read one of
Radford’s off the wall lyrics, he was hooked. Dunlop, whose college major was
history, couldn’t get enough of Radford’s riff on Civil War
zombies.....Braaaaaaiiiiiiiins
Once the two clicked and became prolific partners, Dunlop had the idea
to create an internet based band with contributing members from all over the
world. When that didn’t pan out, the two formed a local Detroit band called
Shock of the Cold. Their first album, “Listen At Your
Own Risk”, was written and recorded over six months and consisted of over
30 songs. In 2006, Shock played at the Emergenza Music Festival in Detroit and
took first place in all three rounds of the competition, beating out many local
bands. Shock earned the opportunity to perform in front of 1,600 people at the
Majestic Theater where Dunlop won Best Guitarist. In 2007, Radford came to
visit the band and participate in one of their shows. The band performed
throughout the Midwest and released 3 full length albums. When the band broke
up in 2008, Dunlop and Radford decided to forge ahead creating a new band,
These Curious Thoughts—and quickly gained a buzz for their multi-faceted albums
whose covers featured the colourful artwork of Dunlop’s dad. These Curious
Thoughts’ discography includes “The World Outside”, “The
Colour of Sound”, “Let’s See What 2moro Brings” and—in
line with the Peruvian tall tale—“Building Mountains from the Ground”.
Each track on “What Is It, and How Did It Get There?” is already
being sold as a separate download via their popular Facebook fan page, where they
invite their 3,500-plus international fans to participate in their ongoing
evolution as a creative team—posting songs and accompanying videos as soon as
they record them.
“Definite sounds of late 60s and early 70s influence through the music, quite a bit of this could sit alongside Sgt Peppers without raising an eyebrow.” – Simon Jones - Rumbles & Grumbles
“‘The bass however owes nearly everything to The Beatles and Paul McCartneys’ Hoffner throb.” – Jules - TAPEtoTAPE
“This is a fascinating experiment in transatlantic musical relations hinting at a pair of powerful song writing imaginations.” – Stephen Morris - RockKent.com
“These Curious Thoughts gave me some curious thoughts on how a couple of fellows who were across the pond from each other could actually make a music project blossom into a full blown band. These guys had the raw garage chops and musical intuition to pull it off.” – Cory - Boy Meets Music
“‘The bass however owes nearly everything to The Beatles and Paul McCartneys’ Hoffner throb.” – Jules - TAPEtoTAPE
“This is a fascinating experiment in transatlantic musical relations hinting at a pair of powerful song writing imaginations.” – Stephen Morris - RockKent.com
“These Curious Thoughts gave me some curious thoughts on how a couple of fellows who were across the pond from each other could actually make a music project blossom into a full blown band. These guys had the raw garage chops and musical intuition to pull it off.” – Cory - Boy Meets Music
Instrumentation
JAMIE (JIM) RADFORD - LYRICS & INSPIRATION
SEAN DUNLOP - MUSIC & VOCALS
SEAN DUNLOP - MUSIC & VOCALS
Discography
RELEASED (AVAILABLE ON ITUNES)
2012 - MAKING MOUNTAINS FROM THE GROUND (Viaduct Records)
2011 - LETS SEE WHAT 2MORO BRINGS (Viaduct Records)
2010 - THE COLOUR OF SOUND (Viaduct Records)
2009 - THE WORLD OUTSIDE (Viaduct Records)
UNRELEASED
2013 - WHAT IS IT, AND HOW DID IT GET IN THERE? (Viaduct Records - Expected Release Date 1/13/13) This album is being written, recorded and posted on Facebook during the year. Hear songs by going to facebook.com/thesecuriousthoughts
2012 - MAKING MOUNTAINS FROM THE GROUND (Viaduct Records)
2011 - LETS SEE WHAT 2MORO BRINGS (Viaduct Records)
2010 - THE COLOUR OF SOUND (Viaduct Records)
2009 - THE WORLD OUTSIDE (Viaduct Records)
UNRELEASED
2013 - WHAT IS IT, AND HOW DID IT GET IN THERE? (Viaduct Records - Expected Release Date 1/13/13) This album is being written, recorded and posted on Facebook during the year. Hear songs by going to facebook.com/thesecuriousthoughts
Links
These Curious Thoughts - Free Download
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