Jerry's Pick: "SOS (Overboard)"

"SOS (Overboard)"-Joseph

I'm sure you've noticed there's been a folk music resurgence of late, but what really surprised me were the number of successful singing sisters on that list (no, none are nuns) which include First Aid Kit, Lily & Madeleine, Haim along with the previously reviewed The Staves and The Pierces... and now there's Joseph.

The very first time I heard this trio of synchronized singing siblings was in between featured films while tuned into the Turner Classic Movies channel. At the time, the cable network was running a three-and-a-half minute self-promotional video featuring lots of quick clips from vintage Hollywood movies edited over an unknown song with strong but beautiful female harmonies. I was so taken by their voices I immediately Googled a few lines of lyrics to discover the song in question was "White Flag" from three sisters performing under the somewhat misleading moniker of Joseph.

It turns out Joseph (a group name honoring their grandfather) is comprised of twins Meegan and Allison Closner and their slightly older sis Natalie.

After falling in love with their never-surrender anthem "White Flag" I next discovered "SOS (Overboard)," another track from I'm Alone, No You're Not. This delicate yet spirited recording is just additional evidence their beautifully layered in-sync triple-harmony vocal traits are simply the result of sisters forever sharing the same pair of genes. According to their bio, "It's just second-nature, like a fifth limb that's already on you," says Natalie. "There’s an ability to anticipate what's going to happen and blend with it. When Meegan and Allison sing, they know exactly what I'm going to do and when."

Joseph's I'm Alone, No You're Not was produced by Mike Mogis -- who had previously worked with a few other of my favorites... most notably Jenny Lewis, Rilo Kiley, Bright Eyes, Elizabeth & the Catapult -- and is one of the reasons "SOS (Overboard)" floats more to the pop side of the folk spectrum.

"This was our first time doing a recording like this," says Natalie, "and we learned so much about creativity. Mike is a genius, and he's just a total maniac as a musician, so he took these bare bones songs and brought them to life with lush, gorgeous textures and sounds."

"SOS" begins demure and diffident with lead vocalist Meegan emanating anxious apprehension ("I know I want you but I'm drowning in fear") then giving way to hopeful confidence ("I'm finally ready, help me up out of here"). 

Me? Well, I consider this new Joseph single very airy, boyant and uplifting. Kinda like a... life preserver.

I'm putting out the call:   · · · – – – · · · 

You can hear a whole lot Morse by clicking on the music video below...

Jerry's Pick: "Run (Beautiful Things)"

"Run (Beautiful Things)"-AWOLNATION

I have to take a moment to brag that I was one of the first to be mesmerized when -- in early 2011 -- I heard the electronic power-ballad "Sail" from the then unknown act AWOLNATION. Finally -- almost two-years later -- the alternative track finally got the notice it deserved, eventually spending an unbelievable total of 79-weeks on the Billboard Hot-100 Singles Charts... second longest run in pop music history.

Earlier this year, AWOLNATION (singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Aaron Bruno) released a follow-up album to Megalithic Symphony.  Shortly after latching on to the disc's first single "Woman Woman," I began to obsess over the album's title track, a starkly ominous opening-number titled "Run."  The lyrics -- minimal and morose -- feature the often repeated line, "I am a human being, capable of doing terrible things."

Although claiming to be a "human being," to me those words come across as a programmed narrative that could have originated from a science fiction character found in an Isaac Asimov novel with a demeanor somewhere between the HAL 9000 and Gort.

But when Bruno hit the road performing the song live, he decided to make one small alteration to the lyrics. The line "I am a human being capable of doing terrible things" became "capable of doing beautiful things," one-word which changed the track's entire vibe.

Bruno told journalist Amanda Wicks, "I think that everyone can relate to negative feelings and that realization of the dark side to humanity, which unfortunately we see too much of around us at times. But then there’s the other side we find in beauty, positivity and love that is ultimately more powerful. I started to change the lyric during our live shows and it was natural to want to record this new version of the song."

Other than swapping "terrible" for "beautiful," the two takes are identical -- including the electronica/strings beginning to its heavy-metal finish -- separated simply by Bruno's plainly-spoken but concerning one-word warning: "Run."

I've been listening to this AWOLNATION track since early-August and I still find it unconventionally unique and curiously captivating.  Don't just take my word for it -- 4 out of 5 cyborgs gave this track a solid (but very monotone) "affirmative."

Your prime directive: Don't walk... "Run."