Twenty Ways Amazed

Oh... This one goes deep. Not only is this album extremely touching, it bears some truly special meaning for yours truly who personally finds Tim Rose, the man behind the title Fresh Mowed Lawn, greater and in many ways more important than most musical legends. Something about Rose’s songs appeals to me big time. I believe the simple explanation is melodies, and Rose’s phenomenal ability to come up with them (although I can’t deny the meaning of a sweet voice that delivers the melodies either…). Whatever the ultimate reason is, something about the music of The Sun Sawed in 1/2 (and Fresh Mowed Lawn) has been enchanting me ever since I found these titles.

Tim Rose, who had a few years earlier recorded tracks for The Sun Sawed in 1/2's latest album (I refuse to say “last”!) Bewilderbeest in Kyiv, Ukraine, now went to Austria and recorded the entire album in Vienna with the help of talented local musicians. The result is fresh and clear, although Rose hasn’t completely abandoned the dark shades of psychedelia. The general sound is in fact rather dark than bright, but I would preferably describe the album’s mood as atmospheric. Rose chants and the band plays through the album in the spirit of Wondermints and The High Llamas. The absolute sincerity and positive mood of Watching the World Turn Slowly/From This Day Forward gives some really strong loving vibes pretty similar to Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds. I think it would be quite suitable to call this album Tim Rose’s Pet Sounds.

The Fresh Mowed Lawn album (2005) is not much about rock or electric guitars – I’m still not saying that there wouldn’t be any rock in Rose’s performance. Gently sweeping drums, acoustic guitars (and some electric ones too), flutes, lovely female background singers and charmingly dramatic piano playing make the sound of FML. There are also some trumpets and steel guitar that add a nice shade to a couple of songs. In the end of the album Rose even gives the floor to his son Luca.

Wish It All Away is a sort of personal favorite, although it is very difficult to pick faves from an album like this. Sometimes these songs make you feel like you’re looking straight into Rose’s heart – check Once Upon a Summer, The Rest of Your Life, or the title track. Fresh Mowed Lawn that probably gave a name this entire solo project (I guess Rose didn’t want to use his own name because of the other Tim Rose) is epic and has many parts. In the lyrics Rose paints a heavenly picture of lying on a fresh mowed lawn in the summer. Again, I have to refer to Pet Sounds. Rose’s lyrics are like a lovely poetry collection that deals with the ups and downs turning the hardships of life into comfort.

Now, for the first time (that I know of), Rose uses his own voice to perform complete songs on an album. His voice is considerably different from his Sun Sawed in 1/2 bandmate Doug who used to sing most of Rose’s songs. The change of lead vocalist changes the mood of the music, turning it more personal and, well… a lot less bubblegummy. More than butterscotch Rose sounds like Elvis Costello. In his solo material, Tim Rose doesn’t hold back and therefore he has to squeeze out some vocal parts. Part of the magic is definitely in the effort. Rose gives his best possible performance here.

Fresh Mowed Lawn doesn’t contain a second that wouldn’t have a meaning or that at least wouldn’t be entertaining. Tim Rose knows the secrets of melody, and that a good melody sounds even better when you use forceful vocal nuances, emotion and highlight the whole thing with a gorgeous arrangement.

Fresh Mowed Lawn at MySpace

My New Favorite Band!

This stuff should interest anyone who likes The Sun Sawed in 1/2. It might actually sound very good to anyone who likes melodic pop music – why not? For me, this is the coolest music there is. As I’ve already stated a couple of times in great detail, I’m somewhat addicted to Doug Bobenhouse’s vocals. I’ve become a real The Sun Sawed in 1/2 enthusiast during the past year, so I was very, very happy to find out that my favourite singer had started a new band called The Effingways, and he is writing the songs too!

At the moment, there are three songs at MySpace: Memories of Doubt, Polly Chromatic, and Two By Two. They are all good, and when the full-length album comes out, I’m not gonna miss it. Doug’s songs are very interesting because they don’t sound like Tim Rose’s compositions but the gorgeous sound of The Sun’s lead vocalist is present.

The Sun Sawed in 1/2 really should make more music. It’s been eight years since the last Sun album, so it surely is about time they got something new (besides side/solo projects) going on. I’m convinced that the band hasn’t yet shown everything – there really could be more excellent pop albums by The Sun Sawed in 1/2. The quality of the group’s work has been very high since the early stages of their career. Tim Rose’s first solo album Fresh Mowed Lawn from 2006 showed that he still has full capability of capturing magic in his music (I should praise that album soon).

There are so many things to look forward to! That is so great. If there wasn’t anything to wait for, life would be much more boring.

The Effingways at MySpace

You Leave the Light on in My Mind

Let’s make it clear now. I absolutely and sincerely love The Sun Sawed in 1/2. The whole story started with a song called Janet Greene, which I considered a very nice, bouncy song. After that I found their album Fizzy Lift (1997) at a record store in Helsinki (the odds of that?!) and started listening to it. Eventually, in the fall of 2007, I noticed I was in love, again. And with what was I in love? With an album filled with wonderful songs, wonderful melodies, wonderful playing - and not least the utterly sweet and wonderfully amazing singing voice of Doug Bobenhouse.

Soon, I ended up having to remove Fizzy Lift from my mp3 player because other bands didn’t get a single chance to be listened to… Then, I got Bewilderbeest (2000), Sun’s fourth and last album and I loved it. After that, I picked up Fresh Mowed Lawn’s very good self-titled album (2006). Fresh Mowed Lawn is Tim Rose’s solo project, and Tim Rose was the songwriter of The Sun. Today, on this very day, I got Sun’s second full-length album, Mind Flip (1995). I already listened to it once, and what a surprise, it was great.

So, what is it about Sun that draws my attention so effectively? First of all, it’s excellent pop songs. Tim Rose surely knows how to write beautiful melodies and catchy hooks. He writes happy songs about pretty girls and other nice things... There are many songs about happiness, and about misery, too, in his catalogue.

Then, there are the wonderful, energetic, and sometimes quite psychedelic sounds of The Sun. Fizzy Lift is filled with wonderful, jangly guitars. There are also violins, and some of the songs feature wind instruments, which sound brilliant. Bewilderbeest contains lots of Slavic feel and sounds. That is very interesting and sounds amazing, too. The album also features a song called Beholder and His Eye. It's so beautiful a song that I listen to it at least once every day.

And, then there is Doug Bobenhouse’s voice. That sound is simply pure bliss and sweetness to my ears. Doug Bobenhouse’s voice is sweet, joyful and flexible. That means he is able to sing sad songs too, and that sounds equally good. Doug’s voice is also quite nasal and that is what makes it so enchanting. I love nasal singing voices. All my favourite singers have nasal voices at least to some extent.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get some Sun.

The Sun Sawed in ½ at MySpace
Fresh Mowed Lawn at MySpace