Help
Me, I'm On Fire
is the five song EP from the Michigan duo known as That's
Him! That's The Guy!* David
Martin and Joseph Scott have given us a little treasure chest
in these five songs--open carefully, because mixed in between
the guitars and banjos and electronic flourishes (parts Grandaddy
or Don's Mobile Barbers, let's say...both good company.)
is sweetly sung heartbreak. Martin's lyrics are a heart opened
wide, vulnerable and exposed as if to see (or hear) it beating,
full of uncertainty and isolation and honesty: "I've
been let down by my childhood idols/ I've let my guard down and
paid for that trust in hurt/Come to realize they're all just human/Same
as me, for better or for worse." (For The Learned)
The absolute beauty to be found in Martin's tentative vocals (and
gorgeous harmonies with Scott), along with the simple--and joyous--melodies
of the songs, coupled with the absolute frankness of the words
themselves, creates something almost unsettling in their repeatability.
( Please see "Angry and Vengeful Lord" for evidence
of that.) Martin is singing these songs to you, but he could just
as easily be singing them for you, me, anyone--we can all relate
to these sentiments.
TH!TTG! is currently working on a full-length album, to be released
sometime in the spring. If this EP is any indication of what's
to come from the band, winter can't end soon enough.
*
s. says: Most bands with exclamation points in their name
tend to suck, in my estimation...this band definitely does not.
Thank you.
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