09 Feb 2015

Analgesics, birth control, air travel and dentistry are all modern conveniences that I am very grateful for. I love being able to order whatever I want and have it arrive at my door in days. I love being able to power up this little machine of mine and connect with friends and strangers all over the world, peek into their lives and plan trips to corners of this planet I have never seen. But not all the modern amenities in this world can make me give up my love and affinity for a musically simpler time.

We can’t deny that some of the best music ever created came well before we had auto-tune and fancy electronics and wild stagecraft to distract us. Even in this time of flash and show pony grandeur, there are still artists who come along and transport us to another decade, oftentimes one they haven’t even lived through.

Leon Bridges is a 25 year old kid from Fort Worth Texas and he has released two songs that have propelled the former college dance major from coffeehouses to a major-label record deal in less than six months. Courted by 40 labels before his signing to Columbia, he has managed to encapsulate the sound of an entire decade in two songs. A sound that brings me back to a place filled with cardigans and lemonade and shiny shoes, where artists were welcomed by people who bought tickets and stood in line because they wanted nothing more than to slow dance in a hot crowd with their date.

Recorded live at Niles City Sound studio, using only vintage equipment, these two songs are an absolute treat, a refreshing take on an old sound that still manages to sound dynamic and exciting.

Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0hXaQvwIgw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLzr5xv36UI